La Vie En Rose
by SummerDancer
Summary: Cheese Sandwich and Pinkie Pie are hired to throw an anniversary party in Paris for the Mayor and her husband. Unfortunately, a band of thieves also has their sights set on the party, with every intention of crashing it.
1. Allons-Y!

_**A/N:CheesePie is very close to my heart, so I just want to share my love for this ship for everyone to enjoy, and I hope you do :) I don't own My Little Pony.**_

 _Dear Pinkie Pie,_

 _Bonjor! Hello!_

 _My name is Madame Honey Bee. You may know me as the mayor of mayor of Paris. In three days time, my husband and I are celebrating our 20_ _th_ _anniversary. As always, we will need a professional party planner or two to organize this big event. We have heard great things about you, Madame Pie. Princess Twilight, as well as Princess Celestia, Cadence, and Luna, have spoken very highly of you regarding your unique capabilities. If it is not too much trouble, we would like to hire you to help with the celebration, as well as one other professional party planner, Cheese Sandwich. Maybe you know him? I'm sure you two will do a marvelous job if you so choose to accept. In the envelope there are two tickets. One is a train ride to Rainbow Falls; this is where you will meet up with Monsieur Sandwich. The other is the train ride to Paris France, where you will meet our chauffeur, and he will take you over to our offices, where you will meet us. I sincerely hope that both of you will come._

 _Sincerely, Mme Bee_

Pinkie Pie's eyes widened as she read the letter in her hooves. A party at Paris Prance? And she got to plan it with Cheese? She bounced up and down. "I am so _there!_ " She stopped bouncing, and started to pace back and forth. "Let's see. I'll need some extra streamers, _Lots_ more balloons, a French dictionary, my party cannon, although I'll need extra _ammo_ …" "Pinkie dear! Have you seen my rolling pin?" Mrs. Cake called from downstairs. Pinkie's eyes widened. "Oh! And permission from Mr. and Mrs. Cake!" She opened her bedroom door. "It's in the bottom cabinet Mrs. Cake!" she called down. "Oh… oh yes, thank you dear!" came the reply. Pinkie sat on her haunches. This would not be easy. She would need precise reasons to go, possibly a certain amount of begging and pleading would do it. And she would be with a boy, which won't make it any easier. But he wasn't just _any_ boy! He was only one of her bestest friends in the world! She sighed happily. It had been a long time since she last saw Cheese. She would never forget the Bithaversary they had thrown together for Rainbow Dash. It was wonderful spending time with him! He was so much fun to be around! She'd never met anypony who enjoyed throwing parties like she did.

Pinkie felt a tug on her tail, yanking her out of her thoughts. She looked down to see Pumpkin Cake nibbling on her tail, although she didn't have teeth. The pink pony giggled as she grabbed the toddler and playfully tossed her onto her back, earning happy squeals from the tiny filly. "Oh, Pumpkin, my tail isn't cotton candy, silly! I thought we've been over this!" Pumpkin simply smiled, and wrapped her little arms around Pinkie's neck. Pinkie grinned, and descended her way down the stairs to see Cup Cake mixing cake batter in a bowl. Pound Cake was on the floor playing with a few blocks. Pinkie lowered herself to the ground while Pumpkin climbed off and went over to play with her brother… or try to fit something in her mouth. Cup Cake looked up from her stirring and smiled. "Hello sweetie. I'm just baking a cake for Cinnamon Twist as a thank you for helping us out with the baking sale, remember that?"

Pinkie nodded. "I sure do! We were knee deep in cookie dough before she showed up! She's gonna love it!" Just then, Carrot Cake walked in with some groceries. The twins squealed, and wrapped themselves around their father's two front legs. "Well, I'm glad to see you too, babies—eh—now..." He was having difficulty walking over to the kitchen, but the twins held on. Pinkie took the bag of groceries from his back and placed them on the counter.

"Oh, thank you, Pinkie Pie. It's chaos at the market today!" Pinkie scuffed her hoof on the floor, and cleared her throat. "Umm, I'm glad you're both here. There's something I want to ask you." The Cakes looked at each other, and back at their employee. "Well, of course. What is it?" Carrot asked. Pinkie straightened up. "Well, I just got a letter from the mayor of Paris, and _she_ thought it would be super cool if Cheese Sandwich and I would be able to throw their 20th anniversary party in Prance! And I was wondering… can I go? Pretty please?" she said with a squee.

Cup Cake looked at her husband and frowned. "I don't know, Pinkie. Paris Prance? That's a whole other country. How long would you be gone?" Pinkie tapped her hoof to her chin. "Hmm… about a week maybe. Let's see, there's getting there, going things over with the mayor and her husband, planning the party, set up, time span, hosting the party, clean up, and heading on back to Ponyville… scratch that, maybe two weeks, tops." Carrot frowned. " _Two_ weeks in Paris? I don't know, that's a long time away." Pinkie bounced up and down on her hooves. "Aww, pleeaaaase? This is a once in a life time opportunity! Please please please with sugar on top? I've been to faraway places before!"

"Yes, but you were with your _friends,_ dearie," Cup Cake said. "Can't one of your friends go with you?"

Pinkie shook her head. "Nope. Twilight and Spike are at Canterlot, Rarity's at Manehatton, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy went to Cloudsdale to visit their parents, and Applejack went with her family to visit one of their cousins. She just had a foal. Besides, Cheese Sandwich is gonna be there!"

"You mean that nice fella that helped you with Rainbow's Bitrthaversary?" Carrot asked.

Pinkie jumped up in the air. " _Exactly!_ "

Cup Cake raised an eyebrow. "And is he traveling with you all the way there?"

The pink pony scratched her front left leg. "Uhh, weeell… _half_ all the way there. I have to take a train ride to Rainbow Falls first, that's where I'll meet up with him, and then we take another train to Paris. Don't you trust me?" Cup Cake sighed, and put the bowl filled with cake mix on the counter. "It's not that, dearie. We _do_ trust you," She said, pulling Pound from his father's leg. "It's just that you're like a daughter to us, and… well…"

"We just wouldn't want anything to happen to you, that's all." Carrot finished, pulling Pumpkin off his other leg. "But you don't have to worry about me!" Pinkie said, putting a hoof to her chest. "I'm responsible. And besides, I'm a full grown mare!"

"Half grown mare." Carrot corrected. "You're only 19 years old, Pinkie Pie."

"Eh, details, details," Pinkie dismissed. She stuck her lower lip out, and widened her eyes, giving them the cutest pout she could muster. "Pleeeaaaaase?" Carrot winced. He was never able to resist that face. Biting his lip, he glanced over at his wife. "What do you think muffin cake?"

Cup Cake looked deeply into the pleading eyes of the young mare before her. She closed her eyes and sighed. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes again. "Alright." Pinkie gasped and lifted her head up. "Really? You mean I can really go?" Cup Cake nodded. "Yes, you can go." Pinkie leapt six feet in the air. "ALRIGHT!"

"But under a few conditions!" Cup Cake said. Pinkie stopped, and fell onto the rug with a _thud._ She sat up, and pulled out a heart-shaped notebook pad and a pencil. "Uh-keh." She said with the pencil in her mouth.

"You stay on the train, and don't speak to any strangers."

"Nn-hnn.."

"Once you arrive at Rainbow Falls, stay there until you're with Cheese. Once you two are together, you _stay_ together, understand?"

"Nn-hnnn…"

"Make sure you're polite to the mayor and her husband, and make sure to do _exactly_ what they ask of you."

"Nn-hnnn…"

"When you get settled in, be sure to write every day if you can, and maybe send us some pictures once in awhile. We want you to have fun, too."

"Nn-hmm, Nn-hnn…" Pinkie lifted her head, indicating if there was anything else. Carrot Cake tapped his chin, and looked at the young mare sternly. "And _no_ hanky-panky!" Pinkie's jaw hung open, dropping the pencil to the floor. Her face flushed a deep shade of red. " _Mr. Cake!_ " She whined. Carrot raised his eyebrows. "What? I don't really know how you kids are these days. I just wanted to make sure." Pinkie's blush deepened. "But we're _friends!_ Even if… I—I mean…" Carrot smiled. "Now, now, I know you're respectable, Pinkie," He assured the blushing pony, putting an arm around her. "But… … maybe I should have a chat with him and—"

"No need, hun," Cup Cake interrupted, coming to Pinkie's rescue. "I'm sure he's a nice young pony."

"I know that," Carrot defended. "He might be a little eccentric, but… I trust him. And I trust you." He said, ruffling Pinkie's mane. The pink pony grinned brightly. "Ohh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She cried, giving both of them a bone-crushing hug. "You guys are the _best!_ "

"Y-Your'e…. wel-come," Carrot choked out. "C-can't… breathe… Pinkie…!" Cup Cake wheezed.

Cheese Sandwich smiled to himself as he walked out of Phillydelphia with Boneless 2 in tow. "Another job well done, Boneless 2," Cheese said in his low tone of voice. Boneless swayed to the left on his back. Cheese smiled. "So right, my rubber friend. Those ponies sure can drop it like it's hot." He then felt a wave of shivers course throughout his body, knocking his hat to the ground, revealing his brown poofy mane. "Whoo, that was a _doozy!_ " He picked his hat off the ground, and placed it back on his head. "Paris Prance, huh? We'll make it the best anniversary they've had in years!"

"Letter for a mister Sandwich!" A pegasus pony called. Cheese looked up surprised, as the pony handed him the letter. "Thanks!" He called as the pony flew off. He quickly unfolded the letter, and read what was inside. "Madame Bee, anniversary, Paris Prance… way ahead of ya!" His eyes continued to scan the paper. His eyebrows shot up. " _Pinkie Pie?_ " A crazy grin took over his whole face. "Hot Dog!" He exclaimed, with a little hop. He paused. "…Yeah, I know, Boneless 2. Nopony says that anymore." He returned his gaze to the letter with a faint blush tinting his cheeks. "Looks like we'll be taking a little detour!"

A mare stood looking out over the mountains with contempt. The wind blew her long, wavy blonde mane across her face. She tossed her head with irritation. "I'm tired of waiting around for another job, Red," She said loudly. "This _millennia_ would be nice, hmm?" A tall stallion with a grey coat and a thin black goatee groaned. "It's not that easy, Esme," he said, walking up beside her. "A super heist that you want takes weeks of planning. You can't just…" He threw up his hooves. "Make it happen! It takes actual planning. Not to mention, these ponies are getting rather restless." Esme looked downwards upon the campsite of her band of followers. They were sparring each other, napping, hoof wrestling, and eating. She sighed. They had been waiting for days now to steal something more valuable since the Saddle Arabia heist. So far… nothing.

Red Herring spoke up again. "If you have any ideas on where to have this thing, by all means, let's hear it."

Esme rubbed her chin with a hoof. _I wonder if I'm beginning to lose my touch,_ she thought. She felt someone nudge her side. The mare snapped out of her stupor, and looked to see a female pony beside her holding a newspaper. "Yes, what is it, Lilly?" Esme sighed, half annoyed already. Lilly handed her the newspaper attentively. "I found it on the street." She said quietly. Esme unrolled the newspaper, and looked over the front page. Her expression went from low interest to extreme intrigue. Apparently, Mme Honey Bee and her husband will be having their 20th anniversary party. A _lavish_ anniversary party. She smirked deviously. "Good work Lilly," she said, patting the young mare on the head. Lilly smiled.

Red tilted his head slightly to the side with a slight smirk on his face. "I know that look," he said playfully. "What plan have you cooked up in that twisted mind of yours?" Esme looked up, flashing him a sinister grin. "I hear that Paris is awfully nice this time of year."

Pinkie Pie hopped out of the train, waving to the conductor. "Bye Steve!" She shouted over the engines. Steve tipped his conductor's hat. Pinkie sighed happily as she gathered her belongings and party supplies. Not many ponies were on the train today, but she had managed to strike up a conversation with the conductor when he was on break. Although, they never did figure out why a raven was like a writing desk. She looked around the area. "Now where's a good place to wait for…!" She spotted a tall, lanky earth pony with a black poncho with a black fedora on his head, and a rubber chicken with a 2 painted on his stomach. The pony looked up, and smiled widely. Pinkie gasped in sheer delight. "Cheese!" She cried. She immediately dropped all her things, and galloped to her friend. "Pink..!" He didn't even get to finish, for the pink mare had tackled him to the ground in a tight hug. "I'm sooooo, happy to see you!" she squealed. Cheese laughed, and wrapped his arms around her. Her mane almost covered his entire face. Cheese smiled a little to himself. _Cotton candy just became my new favorite smell._ "I missed you too, little filly," he said fondly. He felt the warmth of her body coursing through him. It was most comforting feeling in the world. The two party ponies finally released each other and stood back up. "You ready to do some party planning in Parie?" Cheese asked with a grin.

"Absolutely!"

"Then let's go!" He trotted over to Pinkie's luggage. "Let me help you with these!" Pinkie smiled. "Aww, thanks, Cheesie!" She giggled as she fell in step beside him. Cheese sighed inwardly. He almost forgot how adorable she was. And beau— _WHOA, WHOA, WHOA, you can stop right there, buddy!_ Cheese blinked. Who was that? _Me!_ The voice said. Who? _Me! Your common sense!_ The voice bellowed. Cheese giggled on the inside. _Hi, common sense!_ He called. The voice groaned. _You're not supposed to talk back to me!_

 _Why not?_

 _Doesn't matter why not! Just listen!_

 _Alrighty then!_

 _Look. I know, you've been thinkin' about that mare._

 _Who? Pinkie?_

 _No, your mother. Of course I mean Pinkie! What are you doin', calling her 'Cute' 'n all that jazz?_

 _Well… why wouldn't I? She's a doll!_

 _No. She's your partner. Your business partner. Acquaintance. Your confidant even. You cannot think of her other than those things. You can't fall. in love! You'll lose sight of yourself if you do!_

 _B-But I'm not…_

 _Don't lie to yourself, buddy… but you just listen to me. No intimate thoughts about her. Understand?_

 _But why—_

 _Understand?!_

… _Well… alright?_

 _Good boy. Remember. I got my eye on you._

 _Well, from what I gathered, you don't have any eyes!_

… _I'm leaving now._

 _Well, okay. Catch you later!_

Cheese and Pinkie Pie arrived at the express train that was heading for Paris and got themselves in line. Pinkie Pie grinned up at her friend. "We have so much to catch up on!" Cheese nodded. "I know! Oh, Hey! How's boneless doing?" Pinkie's smile froze on her face. "….Pinkie?"

 **A/N: It starts! Let me know what you think!**


	2. Paris and Poptarts

Cheese squinted as the first rays of sunlight reached his eyes. The party pony looked down, and saw Pinkie Pie resting her head on his shoulder. He felt a warm feeling melting in his chest. She looked so cute and peaceful in the morning light. She snored softly, nearly sending him to _HNNG!_ land. He turned his head and glanced outside the window. The sun was just peeking up over a lake that they were passing. Streaks of soft yellow, purple, pink, and orange illuminated the sky. _Another beautiful morning in Equestria,_ Cheese thought happily. He yawed quietly, but didn't stretch, for he didn't want to wake up the sleeping pink pony beside him.

She had been so worried the day before. She apologized relentlessly for Boneless, but Cheese understood, and assured her that it was okay. It really was. He was even proud of the little guy. He _saved_ _Equestria_ for pony's sake! Sure, he was a bit saddened at first. After all, he gave him to Pinkie to remember their time together, but it was one sacrifice to make in order to save pony kind. It sounded so dramatic, yet it couldn't be farther from the truth.

Luckily, Pinkie had been able to relax about it, and gotten some sleep. _She's really soft,_ he thought. _Like a kitten._ The mare suddenly yawned, and shifted a bit. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing two pools of blue eyes that Cheese secretly admired. She smiled brightly as she looked up at her fellow party pony. "Morning!" She chirped. "Good mornin' little filly," He said brightly.

Pinkie sat up and stretched, with Cheese following suit. "Did I sleep on you the entire night?" Pinkie asked. Cheese chuckled as he stood up and stretched out his hind legs. "Well, not the _entire_ night, no." he replied.

"Heh… sorry about that… but I couldn't help it! You're just like a pillow pet!" She giggled, bouncing from her seat. Cheese snorted. "A pillow pet?"

Pinkie smirked playfully as she ruffled his bushy mane. "Yep. A pillow pet. She looked around the train. Most of the passengers were still sleeping. The two or three ponies that were awake were either reading or eating. "Looks like we woke up a bit early," she said, taking a glance outside the window. She turned to Cheese. "Wanna get something to eat?"

"Sure!"

The two ponies quietly made their way to the back of the train towards the dining room cart. When they arrived, they stopped dead in their tracks. The room was filled with all kinds of breakfast food. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, cereal, milk, hash browns doughnuts…

"Holy cheddar…" Cheese gasped.

"All of it looks so good!" Pinkie breathed, looking around at all the choices of food. Cheese raised his eyebrows. "I'd be a crime if we didn't try all of it," he said pointedly. Pinkie massaged her chin. "However, we wouldn't want a stomach ache afterwards. We can't have that, can we?"

"Can't have that," Cheese agreed. He threw her a sideways glance. "One of everything?"

"One of everything."

The two immediately grabbed their plates, and started filling them with food. They bounced to one thing to the other at top speed. The chef of the train peeked into the dining room from the kitchen window and gasped. "Impossible!" He turned to his staff. "We need more food! Throw in the lunch menu if you have to! Those two _garbage disposals_ are eating up everything!"

Cheese licked his lips as he poured Hershey chocolate syrup on his chocolate chip pancakes. A waiter who had been watching them pursed his lips. "Chocolate is one of the finer things in life, don't you think?" Cheese said to him. The waiter nodded reluctantly. "Y…yes… I guess… just let me know if you… need anything."

"Will do!"

Pinkie bounced over to the table where Cheese was making his pancakes. She set down her plate, and pulled out some different colored marshmallows. Then she reached over, and grabbed two Pop tarts. "Watch this, Cheesy," She said. She put the marshmallows onto one of the Pop tarts, and grabbed the bottle of Chocolate syrup, and drizzled it all over the marshmallows. The waiter covered his mouth with his hoof. Then Pinkie placed the other Pop tart on top, and took a bite. "Mmm-mmm!" The waiter tried his best not to throw up. Cheese's jaw dropped. "Is it that good?"

"Mmm-hmm!"

"I'm trying one!" Cheese grabbed two more Pop tarts. "I think I'll add sprinkles to mine…" When Cheese was done, he took a huge bite and chewed. His eyes brightened. "Mmm!" Pinkie laughed, and poked him. "See? See? What'd I tell ya?" The stallion felt particularly happy and tingly, and started to laugh. Pinkie laughed because he was laughing. Uncontrollable laughter soon filled the room. Cheese held his ribs as tears ran down his face. "N-no…hahaha! Stop it! STOP IT! I-I can't… HAHAHA!" Pinkie's face turned a darker shade of pink. "IT"S THE SUGAR ISN'T IT!?" She chortled.

"YEHEHEESS!"

After a few minutes of nonstop laughter, they were able to calm themselves down by taking deep breaths. "Okay," Cheese wheezed, wiping a tear from his eye. "I think… I'm good now." The waiter simply stared at them, completely unamused. "You know, you two should really consider taking decaf," He said flatly. "Oh, I don't drink coffee," Cheese said. He turned his head to Pinkie. "Do you?" Pinkie shook her head. "Nope! I haven't even had it before."

"Me neither."

The waiter stared at them, mystified. He blinked. "Yes, well, I wouldn't consider it…. It's ...awful bitter, you know." He took a deep breath. "So, uh, If there's anything else I can do for you and your sister, be sure to… let me know." Pinkie took a sip of orange juice. "Oh, Cheese isn't my brother." The waiter raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Cousins, perhaps?" Cheese shook his head. "Nope. We're not related."

"Oh. My mistake then. If you'll excuse me," The waiter said, going through the kitchen doors. He rolled his eyes as soon as he was inside. "Well, in that case, you two are _made_ for each other," He muttered.

Pinkie looked over at Cheese, who simply shrugged. After they had finished eating, they went back to the main car. Ponies were starting to wake up and move around. "Looks like everypony's up and about!" Pinkie remarked. Cheese nodded. "That's funny." A middle-aged mare sauntered in their direction. "Excuse me," He said. "But you guys looked like you wouldn't be waking up for hours!" The older mare chuckled. "And we could have _stayed_ that way… if it weren't for the suspicious laughter coming from the dining room." Pinkie and Cheese exchanged sideway glances. With a nod, the mare walked past them on her way to the bathroom. The two ponies looked at each other, and then at the grumpy looking passengers. Pinkie pursed her lips. "Maybe we should…"

"Keep this to ourselves?" Cheese finished.

"Right."

Ponies were grumbling and groaning as they started moving about the train. "I hate mornings," A unicorn mumbled. "You're not upset about the laughing that didn't come from us in any way from this morning, are you?" Pinkie asked nervously. The unicorn rubbed the sleep from her eye. "Not really. I gotta pick up my sister from Prance. She spent so many bits, she can't even afford to pay for the stupid train ride. So, naturally, _I_ have to come get her."

"You think you have problems?" said a pegasus in a school uniform who was still sitting in her seat. "I'm being sent to live with my _dad,_ just because my mom got all upset because of that party I threw. I mean, a few vases got broken and stuff, but they can be replaced!" an earth pony with grey hair let out a grunt and shook his head. "Young ponies these days. _I_ have to go to Paris to just attend a _six hour_ meeting." Pinkie Pie frowned. "But just think about it. Paris! It's one of the most wonderful places of the world! Aren't you the least bit excited?" Numerous ponies shook their heads. "It's such a hassle," an old mare sighed. "The stress, the payment, the traffic, the confusing signs. I can't imagine anything exciting about it." The other passengers grumbled in agreement. Pinkie and Cheese glanced at each other. "Looks like these ponies need cheering up," He said. Pinkie's face lit up. "I know!" She leaned in close. "Do you know Champs Elysees?" Cheese nodded. "Say no more." He pulled out his trusty accordion. "English or French?"

"We should probably sing most of it in English. I don't think they know a lot of French." Pinkie said. With a nod, Cheese started playing an upbeat tune, attracting everyone's attention. Pinkie jumped on one of the seats. "Come on, ponies! We're on a trip of a life time! Prance is the one most beautiful countries in the world! We should be _celebrating!_ " A young pony with braces frowned in confusion. "Uhh… what's going on?"

Cheese Sandwich started singing.

 _I was walking down the avenue and my heart wanted something new_

 _I felt like saying good day to anypony…_

Pinkie then started to sing the next verse.

 _To anypony and that was you, and I said something anything_

 _It was enough to me to talk to you to make you mine._

The two ponies sang in unison.

 _Aux Champs Élysées, Aux Champs Élysées,_

 _If it's raining or if sun is shining, if it's noon or midnight_

 _You have anything you want at Champs Élysées!_

Cheese leaned in next to an old couple and a group of teenagers.

 _You told me "I have a meeting in the basement with the fools_

 _who live with guitars in their hands from evening till morning!"_

The ponies smiled.

Pinkie bounced over to a bunch of little fillies and colts and their parents.

 _So I joined you, and we sang and we danced,_

 _But we never even thought of kissing or hugging!._

The fillies giggled while the colts snickered.

 _Aux Champs Élysées, Aux Champs Élysées!_

 _If it's raining or if sun is shining, if it's noon or midnight_

 _You have anything you want at Champs Élysées!_

The conductor's ears perked up. He frowned. "Bill? Bill!" The co conductor poked his head through the curtain. "Yeah?"

"Do you hear that? What's the commotion back there?"

"Oh, that? Yeah, the passengers are singing, sir."

The conductor turned his head to his partner and raised an incredulous eyebrow. " _Singing?_ "

Back in the main car, everyone's spirits had lifted, laughing and dancing. By now, the song has reached its crescendo as everyone on the train joyfully raised their voices in an uplifting melody.

 _Aux Champs Élysées, Aux Champs Élysées!_

 _If it's raining or if sun is shining, if it's noon or midnight_

 _You have anything you want at Champs Élysées!_

Everyone cheered as Cheese played the last few notes. "Bravo!" a pony shouted. "Bravo!" Pinkie Pie and Cheese bowed modestly. A crackling buzz over the intercom caught everyone's attention, and the chatter quickly died down. " _Attention passengers, please return to your seats and settle down."_ Pinkie Pie pouted. "Aww, but we just did a _number!_ "

" _No Butts! And no standing on the tables please!"_

Pinkie huffed as she jumped off the table she had been standing on.

A few hours later, the conductor's voice once again came over the intercom. " _Fillies and Gentlecolts, we have now arrived at Paris Prance. Thank you for traveling The Road Runner, and have a safe trip. A Bientot!"_ Pinkie Pie and Cheese gathered their belongings and said their farewells to the other passengers on board, as well as the staff. As they made their way to the front of the train, the waiter from breakfast smiled and nodded as they passed. "I hope you have a nice time in Paris," He said. "Although the two of you are certainly the strangest ponies I've met, I have to admit that you've… left quite an impression on me." The two energetic ponies beamed. "Thanks! But hey, we didn't get your name!" Pinkie said.

"Giles," He said. "Giles Lendinghoof."

"I'm Cheese Sandwich, and this is Pinkie Pie," Cheese introduced. "It was nice meeting you!" His female companion grinned. Giles nodded. "Likewise." The two ponies stepped off the train with their belongings.

The sight beyond the train station was breathtaking. There were tall buildings and shops, some were made out of pebble, and some out of wood. Street lamps glowed softly, illuminating the wide and smooth streets. There were many lights throughout the city as far as their eyes could see; making Paris look like it was twinkling. The sun was disappearing, the sky bearing the tranquil colors of dark blue, purple, and indigo. Stars started to come out.

"It's beautiful!" Pinkie gasped in wonder.

"It's a sight alright," Cheese agreed.

"Excuse moi." They turned to see a pony wearing a dark blue uniform. "I assume you are the party planners, Monsieur Cheese Sandwich and Madame Pinkie Pie?"

"That's us!" The two chorused. The pony nodded, his mustache illuminated by the light of a nearby street lamp. _I think I'll call him mustache,_ Pinkie Pie thought, giggling inwardly. "Oui. I am here to take you to Mme Bee's mansion. If you'll please follow me." Mustache led them to a carriage pulled by two stallions. Pinkie grinned as they hopped in. "Well, isn't this fancy pants?" Mustache smiled as he climbed in. "Fancy Pants? I know him well…"

The carriage finally pulled to a stop in front of a big and beautiful mansion just as Mustache finished his story about him and Fancy pants. "And that is why you should never drink brandy in the tub. Ah! Here we are." Just as the three of them reached the front of the house, the doors flew open to reveal a crisp tangerine mare with an auburn colored mane that was in ringlets. She wore a red scarf around her neck, and she had a picture of a large floppy hat for a cutie mark. "Oh, here you are, my darlings!" she exclaimed in her Prench accent. She quickly invited them all inside. "You must be Pinkie Pie!" She kissed her on both cheeks. The pink mare giggled. "Yepporooni!"

"And you're Cheese Sandwich!" She also kissed Cheese on the cheeks. He was amused, if not, a bit flustered. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Honey Bee smiled, and turned to mustache. "Merci." He nodded, and went down the hall. The mayor turned to them with a wide smile on her face. "Ooh, Ca va? How are you? I'm _so_ glad you two could make it!"

"We're fit as a fiddle! Thanks for inviting us!" Pinkie said as the mare led them down an enormous hallway. "I should thank you," Honey said. "For coming here on such short notice." She led them into the kitchen, and fixed them some dinner. "Now, my husband is asleep, and I know there are many things that we would like to go over with the both of you. However, your rooms upstairs aren't quite ready yet, so I have set up a special hotel reservation for you two. In fact, we own it! I'll make sure the staff will tend to your every need." She smiled. "Lucky Penny will take you there."

Cheese and Pinkie Pie looked at the hotel room that had been set up for them. It looked like a whole house from the inside. Cheese accidently spilled his drink on the couch. Pinkie gazed out of a window. The whole city glistened. They had a perfect view of the Eiffel tower, it's golden lights shining brightly from a distance. "This is _amazing!_ " she gushed. Cheese turned on the television.

" _ **PNN reports the sinister sixty is still on the move. They are said to be armed and dangerous. So far, they had committed fifteen robberies just in the last two months. Eleven ponies have been seriously injured in the process. The Royal Guard warns the Equestrian republic to keep a watchful eye out for this dangerous team. As of now, they could be anywhere between Canterlot and Saddle Arabia."**_

Cheese visibly shuddered. "I hope that's nowhere near us," He said, shutting off the T.V. with the remote. Pinkie yawned and stretched. "I guess we should go to bed now. We have lots to do tomorrow." Cheese nodded in agreement. "Let's see where the bedrooms are." They checked all of the doors, and there weren't many. They only led to bathrooms and closets. The last two doors contained well made beds. The two ponies turned to one another with a smile. "Good night, Cheesy," Pinkie whispered.

Cheese stepped forward and brought her into a hug. "Night, Pinks."

 **A/N:It's so late! Lol Now I'm going to bed...**


	3. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

The following morning, Pinkie and Cheese walked up the street on their way to Madame Bee's mansion, stepping on every crack on the sidewalk. They imagined that they were tight ropers in a circus, and if they so much as landed on a smooth surface, hungry alligators would swallow them whole. The escort had offered to give them a ride, but they had insisted on walking. Neither one of them wanted to miss the sights of Paris. The city was bustling with ponies, getting to work, shopping, dining, singing on the corner streets, or simply taking a stroll.

It wasn't as busy as Manehattan, though. The air smelled of fresh rain. It appeared that it had rained somewhere around midnight last night. Even though Pinkie was a tad bit disappointed that she had missed it, she felt good today.

"I'm telling ya, Pinks," Cheese said, landing on a crack. "That maid hates my guts!" Pinkie clicked her tongue as she hopped expertly on the next crack. "Cheese, Cheese, Cheese. She doesn't hate _all_ of your guts. She probably hates _some_ of your guts. That grape juice stain doesn't come out so easily, you know!" Cheese frowned. "Hey! It was an accident! And I don't think that's the only reason…" _I saw her give me the stink eye when I came out of the bedroom with Pinkie… Okay, that sounded wrong._

"Look on the bright side if things," Pinkie suggested. "Our rooms are probably ready by now."

"And we'll get to throw the party of the year," Cheese admitted. He smiled at her warmly. "And this time, we won't be at each other's throats." Pinkie blushed and giggled sheepishly. "Heh, huh… yeah." She looked up at him. "I shouldn't have gotten so carried away. We should join forces more often!" Cheese smirked. "Yes. Come to the dark side, Pinkie," Cheese said in a deep voice. "I have cookies!"

"I have cake."

"…Good point. Can I come over to your side?"

Pinkie giggled. "As long as you bring the cookies with you, then yes."

Inside the mansion, the two were sitting across from Honey Bee and her husband Cosmo Rays, whose accent was so thick, they had a little trouble understanding him. He was a thin pony in a cardigan. He had thin brown hair, and green eyes. He had a bottle of ink and a quill for a cutie mark. "It iz a pleasure to meet you both," He said with a smile. "I apologize for my English... it… needs some work."

"Not at _all,_ mister Rays! I think you speak English really well!" Pinkie complimented. "If anything, it's _impressive!_ " Cheese agreed.

Cosmo smiled. "Ah, Merci, merci. Thank you very much." Honey took a sip of her coffee. "Mmm. So, what we were thinking of a classic party, yet modern. I have a number of models and producers flying in from all over. We are also inviting our friends and family of course, along with their children."

Cheese and Pinkie looked at each other. "Kids?" Cheese inquired. "Oui. Cosmo has twelve siblings, and I have two sisters." She chuckled. "You can imagine the amount of fillies and colts will be attending."

"How many?" Pinkie asked.

"Hmm, Trente-un. About 31."

Pinkie pulled out her sketch pad from her mane and started taking notes, while Cheese nodded slowly. "Interesting to know." He glanced at his partner, who was sketching with a pencil in her mouth. She glanced up at him briefly with a spark in her eye. He smiled. This was going to be good.

Madame Bee tapped her chin. "There was something else." She turned to her spouse. "What am I forgetting?"

"Ze photographer," He said.

"Oh, yes, the photographer, Photo Finish, she will be taking all the portraits and the pictures." Pinkie brightened. "My friends worked with her once!" she said. "Oh! Even better. This will go more smoothly than we thought. Now, we are all about the culture, culture is every important to us. We want it to be bright and colorful, yet sophisticated and hip."

"While staying true to Prance," Cosmo added. "We are having it in ze garden behind ze mansion. Does zat sit well with you?"

"Of course." Cheese assured him. "The more space, the better. Any musical preferences?"

The couple looked at each other. Honey gently rubbed her chin with her delicate hoof. "Well… not really. Any songs would be fine with us… but…" She leaned against her husband lovingly, and he wrapped his arms around him. "There is _one_ song that we would like to hear." Cosmo smiled. "Eblouie par la nuit. It means dazzled by the night. It was ze first song zat we danced to when we were dating."

Pinkie brought both her hooves together. "Awww!"

"Anything else?" Cheese asked. "Well, we _did_ hire you because we trust your judgment. We wanted to give you what we wanted basically, but we decided to leave the rest to the _professionals._ " Pinkie and Cheese blushed. "Well," Cheese said, standing up. "Now that we have an idea, I guess we should get started." The others rose with him. Cosmo handed them a number of bits. "This should cover ze cost." He said. Honey Bee waved someone over. "And we have hired a tour guide to show you around Paris," she said.

A turquoise mare wearing a button shirt and a scarf walked in. She had a brown mane in a pony tail, and dark blue eyes. She smiled lightly. "Hello. I'm Misty, and I'll be your guide today!"

Outside, Misty directed the two ponies around Paris. "So, I'm certain you'll want to visit all of the shops and malls with all the supplies you need. And couture plaza is definitely the place to go." Cheese smiled. "Thanks, Misty."

"This is gonna be so much fun!" Pinkie cheered, bouncing up in the air. Misty chuckled. "Yes…" She gave Cheese a sultry gaze when he was not looking. "This'll be a _lot_ of fun." Pinkie immediately stopped bouncing. D….Did she see what she thought she just saw? Was she actually trying to _flirt_ with him? Pinkie suddenly felt heat rising within her. She decided that she didn't like this mare. Not one bit.

In one of the supply stores, The two party planners went over the fabrics and curtains that would suit the liking of the married couple. Once and a while, Pinkie would steal a glance at their tour guide. She would simply smile and wave. _I'll have to keep an eye out for this one,_ Pinkie thought. _She's sneaky, no doubt about it._ "What do you think, Pinkie?" The pink pony blinked. "Huh? Oh, yes, the silver one. Definitely the silver."

As the day progressed, Misty had been getting closer and closer to Cheese. Pinkie made sure that she was by his side at all times. She had grown more frustrated with her, barely speaking to the guide at all. She didn't know why she felt angry when Misty cozied up to Cheese, but she knew for a fact that it despised it. A lot.

They had made their way to the streamer store, and this time, she was more focused. Streamers made her happy. She knew streamers. She understood streamers. She looked at all the vibrant colors. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue... turquoise. Her head jerked to the right. Cheese was staring at an assortment of streamers, when Misty walked by him, and she playfully flicked her tail under his chin. His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Pinkie saw red. _WHY I OUTTA…_ She briefly calmed herself down, and put on a big grin. She trotted over to her partner. "Cheesie," She said sweetly. She shoved a bunch of streamers into his arms. "I think these are _way_ too long, could you cut them for me?" Cheese shook off his surprise from earlier and smiled. "Of course. Be back in a jiff!"

"Thank You!" Pinkie sang, waving to him as he walked off. As soon as he was out of view, she stomped over to Misty. "And just _what_ do you think you're doing?" She growled, getting in her face. Misty raised her eyebrows, and glared down at her disapprovingly. "Uh, personal space!" She said, using her hoof to push her a few inches back. Pinkie snarled, and waved her hoof in the air. "What was that? Just now!" Misty grinned innocently. "Oh, that? Why, I was simply making conversation."

"You call _that_ conversation?!"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I do." She smirked down at her. "Not that a little piggy like you could understand that." Pinkie's mouth fell open, and shoved her nose against Misty's. "What did you just call me?" Misty didn't even flinch. "You heard me. Why do you care so much, anyway?" Pinkie opened her mouth and closed it. She looked downward, and then fiercely met the other pony's gaze. "It-It doesn't matter! You just watch yourself, sister! If you so much as swing your tail in his direction, I will _end_ you."

Misty scoffed. "Yeah, right. As if! What're gonna do?" She stepped back, and poked Pinkie in the chest. "Punch line me to death? Besides, what makes you think that he'll ever want you? What he needs is a _real_ mare. Not a _little girl._ " Pinkie's face turned red of pure anger. Before she could so much as react, Cheese appeared beside her, holding out a bunch of perfectly layered streamers. "Here ya go, Pinks!" He announced.

Whatever Pinkie was planning to do, she forced herself to put it to a halt. She gave him a sweet look. "Thanks, Cheese." Then she threw the tour guide a dirty look. "You know, Misty, I think we can take it from here." She started pushing Cheese out the door. "Thanks for showing us around, but we can find our own way around now." Misty merely scowled, and rolled her eyes.

"Let's go, Cheese!" Cheese was digging his hooves in the floor. "But Pinkie!"

"No buts!"

"But Pinkie!" Cheese insisted. "We haven't paid yet!" Pinkie stopped abruptly, and went over to the counter, causing Cheese to fall backward on the floor. She opened her bag, and spilled a bunch of bits on the counter. "Here!" She stomped over to Cheese, and grabbed his tail between her teeth. "Woah!" Cheese exclaimed. Pinkie yanked him out the door. Pinkie opened her mouth to release him, and grabbed the door. "AND KEEP THE CHANGE!" With that, she slammed the door behind them, leaving the pony behind the register more frightened and confused than ever.

A little after noon, both party ponies had finished their shopping. Pinkie had pulled out her camera and started taking pictures to send to the cakes. She had gotten great shots of Cheese poising in front of the Prance flag. They had paused in front of a fountain. Cheese immediately got up on the ledge, and leaned across it. "Draw me like one of your Prench fillies," He said in a low sultry voice. Pinkie laughed, and snapped a few shots. After she was finished, he jumped off and stood beside her. "I'm really glad that we get to spend some time together like this, Pinkie." He smiled. Pinkie nodded and looked deep into his eyes. "Yeah… me too."

They suddenly felt something grab both of their heads. "NOW KISS!" They practically leapt out of their skins. "AAHHHH!" Discord rolled over with laughter while other ponies around them quickly and quietly moved away, hoping not to attract his attention. Pinkie sighed heavily, and frowned. " _Discord!_ " Cheese looked at her in surprise. "Wait, you _know_ this guy?"

Discord slithered down to their level, and put an arm around Pinkie. "Oh, but of _course_ she does. We're practically _besties_ now." He snapped his claws, and made a t-shirt appear on Pinkie, saying _My BFF_ with an arrow below it, pointing in Discord's direction. Discord also had on a t-shirt, saying _I'm with stupid_ with an arrow pointing in her direction. "Hey!" She complained. The master of chaos sighed, and quickly made the t-shirts vanish. The pink pony gestured a hoof to the reformed villain. "Cheese, this is my friend Discord. Discord, this is my friend Cheese Sandwich." Cheese's eyes widened. "Discord… you mean…"

"Indeed, my boy," Discord nodded. He made a sweeping gesture as he took a bow. "The spirit of chaos, in the flesh." He glanced up. "And recently reformed." He straightened back up. "And I didn't know you had it in you, Pinkie Pie, eloping to Paris with a stallion. I would expect these kind of shenanigans from Rarity." Both Pinkie and Cheese blushed bright red. "We're not eloping!" Pinkie shrieked. "This is _strictly_ business!"

"That's right!" Cheese defended, equally embarrassed. "We were hired by the mayor to host their anniversary party! Why do think we're carrying all this stuff?" Discord looked at the stuffed saddlebags the two blushing ponies were carrying and shrugged. "If you _say so._ " Pinkie touched her face, which felt unnaturally warm. _Gah! I can't be seen like this! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, I gotta wash myself off…_ Pinkie shifted on one hoof. "Be right back, fillies room!" Before anyone could respond, she dashed off to a nearby store that had a restroom.

Cheese glanced back up at Discord. "So what are _you_ doing in Paris?" He questioned. "I'm merely returning this parakeet to one of Fluttershy's clients," Discord explained, holding out a small cage with a small bird inside. His leg appeared to be bandaged. "Since she was going to visit her parents, I offered to take him myself… it was the _least_ I could do…" His expression was sullen for a moment, but the look was gone within seconds as he eyed Cheese suspiciously. "But I could ask the same thing of you, lover boy," He said slyly. "Do you really expect me to believe that you and Miss Pie aren't snuggling up to each other in the most _romantic country_ in the world?" Cheese scowled. "Yes!... I-I mean no… I mean… there is no snuggling! Snuggling _does not_ ensue!" He pointed a hoof at Discord. "And my name's _not lover boy!_ " Discord smirked. "Whatever you say, Romeo. Here comes your Juliet."

Cheese looked behind him, and saw Pinkie Pie trotting over to them. Her face was now its normal shade of pink. "We'd better get going, Cheese," She said. "We still have to lay everything out in our room." Cheese's pupils shrunk in horror as soon as the words left Pinkie's mouth. The bearer of laughter looked at Cheese's expression with curiosity. "What?" Pinkie thought over what she just said.

Processing…

Processing…

Complete.

 _Ohh…_

She looked over at Discord with horror in her eyes. He had _the biggest_ grin she had ever seen on his face in a long time. His paw flew to his mouth as he tried to hold back his snickering. "Ahem… well, you got yourself a room, how nice." Cheese moaned in discomfort. Pinkie lowered her head, and scowled. She started skulking towards the direction of the mansion. "Let's just go," She said in between her teeth. Cheese trailed behind her. Discord wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh, wait, wait, wait, I truly am sorry about my behavior," He said neither jokingly nor sincerely. He held out a disk, and put it in Pinkie's hoof. "What is it?" She asked, eyeing it curiously. Discord smiled. "It's a video game," He explained. "You get to pretend to work at a pizza joint." Cheese smiled a little. "Well… that doesn't sound so bad. Thanks!"

"Anytime, my little ponies. Now, I must be going. I've got cat chow to return. Oh, and when we meet again, tell me what you think of the game," He said, the corners of his mouth twitching ever so slightly. And with the snap of his claws, he was gone. Pinkie and Cheese looked at each other, and started heading back. "Well, that was nice of him," Pinkie commented. Cheese nodded. "Yeah, it was. What's that game called?" Pinkie looked at the disc. " _Five Nights At Freddy's_."

Cheese let out a panicked moan. "I'm scared, Pinkie." The mare beside him nodded. "I know," She whimpered. "Me too!" Cheese stared intently at the screen, and jumped. "W-Wait… Is… is that bunny _alive?!_ "

"Gaahaha! The chicken, the chicken!"

"Avert your eyes, Boneless 2!"

"Careful, Cheese, the power's at 17%!"

"What happens if I run out of power?!"

"I don't know!"

They suddenly saw a mechanical fox running down the hall on the security camera. Cheese's heart leapt out of his chest. Pinkie broke out into cold sweat. "WHOA, CHEESE, CLOSE THE DOOR, CLOSE THE DOOR!" With a high pitched squeal, Cheese clicked on the button, and the door shut. The fox pounded on the door, and left. The two ponies sighed in relief. Cheese sunk back against his beanbag chair. "I don't think I like this game." Pinkie froze. "Cheese…"

The stallion looked at her, and then at the computer screen. He gasped. The power percentage was at 3%. The two embraced each other as they watched helplessly as the number went down from 3 to 2 to 1 to 0. Everything shut off. The security room went dark. Cheese and Pinkie watched in silent terror as creepy child-like music started playing. "Oh, Cheese…" the music stopped. Footsteps. Without warning, a large mechanical bear popped up on the screen, and screamed in their faces. The two ponies leapt in the air. "AAAAHHHHHH!" They landed on their bean bags. Breathing heavily, they looked at each other.

They burst out laughing, kicking out their hind legs in hilarity. "That was great!" Pinkie giggled. Cheese rolled over and sat up. "Yeah! Sometimes it's fun to be scared!" Pinkie flipped over on her stomach. "Exactly! Gets the heart pumping, ya know?" Cheese stood up. "Indubitably." He extended his hoof, and helped Pinkie to her hooves. "We better get back to work. We're about two days ahead!" Pinkie nodded, and looked around the room. "I still can't believe they did all this for us!" The room that the mayor had prepared for them was like a college dorm room, only more upgraded. The walls were colorful, different colored balls hung from the ceiling. The carpets were red and vibrant. There were bean bags and large tables, where Pinkie and Cheese were sketching out ideas.

There were two large separate beds, one with pink blankets and pillows, and one with yellow and orange blankets and pillows with different kinds of cheese printed on them. The room also had three large windows that gave them an impressive view of all of Paris. There was also an inside bathroom, as well as a computer. They had spent nearly all afternoon planning everything, taking note of every single detail. They had taken a short break playing the video game.

Cheese nodded. "Yep. They sure went all out for us. Have you finished your letter to the cakes yet?" Pinkie nodded. "Yeppers! I even put all the pictures in. But… I think it could use just one more picture." She walked over to one of the windows, and gazed out at the city. The sun had started going down. The Eiffel tower was closer to them this time. "I can see the hotel from here!" She exclaimed. Cheese came up beside her. "Really?" She nodded, and pointed across from them. "Right there. You see it?" Cheese squinted his eyes, and saw the hotel building where they had spent the night before. "Well, I'll be."

"Ah, look over here!" The dynamic duo turned to see Madame Bee holding Pinkie's camera in her hooves. Cheese wrapped his arm around Pinkie, and both gave genuine smiles as Madame Bee took the photo. "Oh, you two are so photogenic." She sighed. She pulled the picture out from the camera, and shook it. "How is everything going, my darlings?"

"Things are going good, Madame Bee," Pinkie said confidently. "As of now, we are two days ahead of schedule." The mayor grinned. "Ooh, wonderful! I knew we hired the right ponies. And it's a good thing too. Everyone will be flying in tomorrow. Do you think you are able to set everything up by tomorrow night?"

"We don't think so," Cheese said.

"We know so!" Pinkie cheered.

Honey Bee smiled. "Excellent. She stepped out of the room. "Let me or the staff know if you need refreshments or anything." She closed the door behind her. "Such good kids."

They had spent the next day setting up lights, stages, dance floors, and tables. Cheese had hired a well known chef, and he and his crew shortly arrived at four. The air soon filled with sweet aromas from the kitchen. Pinkie looked over the appetizers, the first second, ant third courses, and especially the desserts. She stopped in front of the chocolate, dark chocolate and white chocolate fountains. She glanced at the baker standing beside the fountains, waiting for her approval. "I'm gonna have to sample all of these, sonny." She said bluntly.

As time went on, guests started arriving at the mansion. Ponies were gathering together, hugging and kissing. Fillies and colts laughed as they chased each other around the front yard. "Let's check that sound, Sonnet," Cheese suggested. Sonnet pressed a few buttons, and a French pop song started playing loud and clear. "Nice tunes!" Cheese approved. "Thanks C-dawg." Sonnet replied.

Pinkie raced across the lawn over to her partner. "Cheese! She's on the way!" Cheese's eyes widened. "You mean we got her? She's coming?" She shrieked in delight. "Yes!"

"Alright!" He checked his watch. "Three hours till Showtime. We're gonna make it, Pinks."

In just three hours, guests poured into the garden, liking what they saw. There was a wide dance floor with red, white, and blue spotlights. There was also a Prance inspired fashion show that was about to take place. Models were already good to go. The cat walk was 50 feet long, with the flag of Prance in the background. Strings of lights lined the trees. There were all sorts of mini tables of refreshments, such as sandwiches, cheddar, fruit, and crepes.

Prench pop music filled the air. The crowd voiced their improvement, and started spreading out to different stations. Madame Bee and Cosmo came up beside them, gazing at the wonderful sight all around them. "Ooh, c'est magnifique!" Cosmo breathed. "It is even better than what we have imagined!" Honey Bee gasped. She hugged Pinkie and Cheese. " _Merci, thank you_ so much!"

"You're welcome!" Pinkie chirped. "Now go mingle!" The couple smiled at them and went over to chat with their relatives.

Esme, Red Herring, and their crew stood at the top of a hill, just a few hundred feet above the mansion. Bright lights illuminated the place, and they could hear the music and laughter from where they stood. Esme turned her back to the mansion and faced the others. Everyone was wearing black. They had knives, swords, and brown sacks in their grasps. A number of carts and cages were set up a few feet behind them. Esme nodded in approval. "Alright. You know the drill. Masks on!" Everyone pulled their ski masks over their heads, with only their eyes and mouths showing.

Esme pulled on hers, her hazel eyes flickering in the night. "Take everything you can carry. If somepony gets too _attached,_ or won't comply, ruff them up a bit. If they get difficult, cut em up, but _no killing._ Don't worry about the noise; the music's loud enough to cover us. As soon as we get there, we have a 30 minute time window, so whatever you want, get it, and get it quick. And above all else, _nopony_ is to see you without your mask on or its lights out for all of us. Understood?" The ponies nodded. "Questions, comments, complaints? Good." She turned back to the mansion far down below them. "Then let's go."

A few five minutes, Cheese got up on the stage and grabbed a microphone. "Attention, attention, fillies and gentlecolts, come hither!" All the ponies gathered to the dance floor below the stage. Pinkie pulled Madame Bee and Cosmo over where the crowd was gathering. "Come on, come on, come on! We got a big surprise for you!" As soon as everyone was present, Cheese spoke again. "Thank you, thank you. Now In honor of Madame Bee and Monsieur Rays' special 20th anniversary, we have asked a very special pony to come here tonight. So without any further a due, here's Zaz!" The crowd cheered wildly as a Pale peach mare emerged from the curtains. Her brown hair was in a side pony tail, and she was dressed in a black tank top and pants. Her earrings dangled as she walked onto the stage. Both Cosmo and Honey gasped. "I… it's her!" She shook her husband's shoulder, and jumped up and down. "It's Zaz! Look, Honey!"

"I see!"

The tiny jewel below Zaz's left eye glinted as she smiled at the audience, and then at Cheese. "Merci." She took the microphone as Cheese jumped off the stage. Zaz beamed at the married couple. "This is dedicated to Honey Bee and Cosmo Rays. This song holds precious memories in their hearts and their special, long lasting relationship." Ebluie par la nuit started playing. Honey nearly fainted. Cosmo looked at Pinkie and Cheese in wonder. "H… How?"

The two ponies grinned. "Well, I knew a guy…" Cheese started. "And I knew the guy's cousin…" Pinkie added. "And he was a special music producer pony, and his name was Mary, and I asked him why that _was_ …. _Turns out_ that his father was named Mary…"

"And his father before him was named Mary…"

"And his father before him was named Craig. But anyways…" They leaned against each other. "We pulled a few strings!" They said together. Honey brought a hoof to her mouth, and tears of happiness filled her eyes. "This is the most thoughtful thing that anypony has ever done for us!"

"Thank you so much." Cosmo smiled.

Zaz started singing, and the crowd started cheering for the couple to dance. Cosmo took Honey's hoof, and led her onto the dance floor. Pinkie's heart swelled as they started to dance slowly, with Honey's head resting on Cosmo's shoulder. Cosmo appeared to be whispering something in her ear. The pink pony sighed happily. "I'd say that phase one is complete." Cheese nodded. "Affirmative. Now onto phase two!"

Together, they raced over to the chocolate fountains where all the little fillies and colts were filling up their stomachs… al thirty-one of them. Pinkie held up a megaphone. "ATTENTION ALL FILLIES AND COLTS!" The little kids turned around in surprise. Now that they had their attention, Cheese held up his own megaphone. "THERE WILL BE A SPECIAL MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANDA JUST FOR YOU KIDS A FEW YARDS DOWN! COME OOON OVER!" Children squealed in delight as they followed Pinkie and Cheese across at least eleven yards from the adults party. Little did they know that Esme and Red had just taken down the security guards.

The young ponies gasped in awe as they reached their destination. There was a huge colorful stage with circus tent - like fabric hanging above it. There where popcorn and candy machines, as well as a snack table with chips and punch nearby. There was a large rug in front of the stage, as well as dozens and dozens of beanbags. Kids squealed happily as they grabbed whatever they could. "Help yourselves! The show's about to start!" Pinkie announced. Pinkie hopped onto the stage, and tested the microphones. Cheese soon joined her. "Ready?" He asked. Pinkie gave a firm nod. "I was _born_ ready." She smirked.

"I was ready _before_ I was born."

She snickered and swatted his hair playfully. Cheese spoke into his microphone. " _Alright,_ everypony, settle in, settle in, right on those beanbags, there ya go!" As soon as everyone was seated, Pinkie smiled and spoke. "Ya know, Cheese, I'm happy for the adults and all… but what about the kids party?"

"Hmm… it _could_ use a little _umph,_ you know? Something to get this party going. Something that gets the adrenaline flowing! What's the word for it…?"

Pinkie grinned. "I know! It's…" She started singing.

 _Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!_

 _Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious!_

 _If you say it loud enough you'll always sound precocious!_

 _Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!_

 _Um diddle- diddle -diddle Um diddle ay!_

 _Um diddle- diddle- diddle Um diddle ay!_

 _Because I was afraid to speak when I was just a lad_

 _My father gave my nose a thwack and told me I was bad!_

 _But then one day I learned a word that saved my aching nose!_

 _The biggest word I ever heard and this is how it goes!_

"In the bag! Watches, jewelry, money, right now!" a stallion shouted. The trembling guests took off their possessions, and did exactly what he said. Ponies everywhere were screaming with fear as the sinister sixty moved in, immediately smashing props, and yanking necklaces from ponies' necks. "Give me the bracelet," A mare in black growled. The pony below her gave the thief a fierce glare. "No way! It was my mother in law's!" She yelled in her Manehatttan accent. Her husband gripped her shoulder. "Just give it to her, Gladys. Mother will understand!"

"I will do no such thing!" Without warning, the thief bucked her in the head, sending her to the ground in a heap, blood slowly dripping from her temple.

"Gladys!"

 _He traveled all Equestria and everywhere he went_

 _He'd use his word and all would say "There goes a clever gent!"_

 _When dukes and princes take me out to brunch_

 _I say my special word and then they ask me out to lunch!_

Red Herring repeatedly punched the living daylights out of a photographer, and crushed his camera with his hooves. He finally stopped, and stood up over the groaning young stallion. "I told you… no flash photography."

Madame Bee shrieked as a stallion grabbed her by the mane. "Hold still, that headband's made out of gold," He snickered, yanking it out of her mane. Cosmo immediately tackled him to the ground. "Cosmo!" Honey wailed. Cosmo was promptly defeated by two blows to the stomach. Honey dropped down beside her husband, and hugged him closely. "Oh, my darling…"

One of the thieves named Steel nudged the pony who took out Cosmo and pointed to the kids tent in the distance. "Sal, dude, look. There's another one." Honey's eyes widened in horror. "No! No, you can't!" She turned to the other nearby guests. "That's where the children are!" Parent's ears perked up in panic. All of the parents tried to get up and force their way to the tent, but the thieves either knocked them to the ground or forced them back down. "QUIET!" Sal shouted. "Nopony move! Now if all of you stay nice and quiet, maybe I'll make sure that no filly or colt suffers any bodily harm. Huh?" He pointed at five other masked ponies. "You keep an eye on them." He turned to Steel, Poison Ivy, who stole the bracelet, and six others. "The rest of you are with me. Let's make this nice and quick."

They started galloping towards the kids tent, ignoring the parent's pleas.

"No, not my baby!"

"She's only six!"

"Leave them alone!"

Honey looked on with silent terror.

 _So when the cat has got your tongue there's no need for dismay!_

 _Just summon up this word and then you've got a lot to say!_

 _But better use it carefully or it could change your life!_

"For example," Cheese said. "I said it to my girl, and now she's my wife!"

"Whaddaya talking about, Cheese? You have no wife!"

"…Oh. Yeah. Right… but if I did, she'd be…"

 _Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!_

 _Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!_

 _Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!_

 _Supercalifragilisticexpialidociooooous!_

Fillies and colts cheered wildly as Pinkie and Cheese took a bow. Suddenly, Pinkie felt her knee pinching. She frowned. If it's one thing she'd learned, it's to _never_ ignore her Pinkie sense. She pulled her partner away from the microphones. "Cheese," She whispered urgently. "My knee's all pinching." Cheese's eyebrows shot up. "Your pinkie sense?"

"Yes." She glanced around the tent nervously. "It usually means that something scary's gonna happen!" Cheese frowned. "Well, whatever it is, we need to keep it from happening to the kids!" Pinkie nodded and went to the front of the tent. She gasped. "Cheese!" Cheese was immediately appeared by her side, and looked out. His jaw dropped. Multiple ponies in black-He didn't even _know_ how many-were galloping in their direction. He looked father down and saw more ponies running around and stealing from the guests. "Quick! Button the curtains!" Pinkie turned her head. "What's _that_ gonna do?"

"I don't know. But hopefully it'll buy us time. We need to get these kids out of here!" Pinkie nodded and quickly buttoned up the curtains while Cheese rounded up the young ones to the very back of the tent. "What's going on?"

Asked a young colt. Before Cheese could open his mouth to respond, A number of weapons began banging against the tent. Someone was trying to rip open the tent entrance. Most of the little fillies and colts started screaming and crying in fear. Pinkie and Cheese tried their very best to hold the tent together. Cheese panted as a knife sliced through the tent by his head. "Pinkie! You happen to have any weapons? All we've got is cotton candy and a rubber chicken!" Pinkie grinned. "Oh! I have an idea!" She ran over to the distressed children. "Does anypony know where the police station is?"

"I do!" Said the colt who spoke earlier. "It's about three miles from here." Pinkie smiled. "Good! When I give you the signal, I want you all to follow…"

"Raoul."

"Raoul to the police station. Okay?"

A little filly in pigtails rubbed her eyes. "I'm scared," She whimpered. Pinkie smiled sweetly, and stroked her mane. "It'll be okay. It's just like playing tag. Just pretend that Raoul's it." The filly nodded. Raoul gave her a firm nod.

Cheese jumped beside her infront of the kids. "So what's the plan, Pinks?"

"Wait for it…"

The tent was being ripped apart. The thieves were now visible.

"Wait for iiiiiit…."

The tent came completely apart.

"I regret nothing. NOTHING!" She pulled out her party cannon and yanked the string.

 _ **BOOM!**_

The thieves cried out in surprise and anger, temporarily blinded by a cloud of confetti. Cheese grinned. "Ohhh!" He turned to the kids. "Go, now, go go go!"

"Allons-y, follow me, let's go!" Raoul shouted. All of the other kids followed him across the garden, and helped each other hop the fence that marked the very end of the garden.

"That was epic, Pinkie!" Cheese cried. Pinkie grinned. "I never leave home without my party cannon!"

Sal roared in anger, and charged towards the fillies and colts. Cheese jumped on his back. He only managed to hang on to him, and not tackle him to the ground like he'd hoped. Sal spun around and tried to buck him off. Poison Ivy moaned, and started to go after the children herself. Pinkie pounced on her and brought her to the ground. "Oh… no… you… don't!"

"Run, Pinkie!" Cheese shouted.

"No way, I'm not leaving you!" Pinkie shouted back, as she was struggling with the other pony. Other members of the squad started to advance on them. One punched Cheese in the gut, and another decked Pinkie in the face.

"Owie! That wasn't very—oh!"

She pulled on Poison Ivy's mask, and yanked it off.

Steel also lost his mask during his struggle with Cheese. He cursed loudly. "UUgh!" Ivy grew panicked. "What do we do? They've seen us, _what do we do?_ "

Sal growled, and pulled out a knife. "Then we'll just have to kill them." Pinkie and Cheese gasped. "No!" Lilly shouted, and ran up to them. "No. You heard what Esme said. We can't kill them."

Sal glared at her. "Oh, yeah? Well, what do _you_ suppose we do?" Lilly swallowed. "We take them with us."

"Are you _crazy?_ " Ivy growled.

"It's the only thing we _can_ do. We're thieves, not murderers." Sal paused. "The runt's right," He announced. "We can't risk this kind of blood-shed. Besides…" He looked down at the two bruised pony with a sinister toothy grin. "They might be of use to us." He looked back up. "Get em outta here." Pinkie's eyes widened in panic as a circle of ponies closed in on her, obscuring her view of Cheese. She heard him struggle against his assailants. "Pinkie!" He shouted, followed by a cry of pain. "Cheese!" She shrieked. She felt ponies pinning her down. She struggled to no avail. "Let go! Let us go!" Poison Ivy gripped the forelock of her mane and yanked it, forcing Pinkie to look into her eyes. "Listen here, you little brat. You be a good girl and come with us and we won't hurt your friend here." Pinkie's eyes welled up in pain and fear. "No!" She cried. "Please don't hurt him!"

"Then keep your trap _shut!_ " Ivy let go of Pinkie's mane and pulled a dark hood over her head. The pink mare whimpered softly as she felt herself being yanked to her hoofs, and was thrown across somepony's back.

As the small group made their way back to the hill with their captives, Pinkie strained to hear Cheese's voice, but heard nothing. Her heart beat faster and faster. What did they do to him? Was he alright? _Say something Cheesie,_ she pleaded in her mind. _Please._ She could hear the distant screams from the guests. _Oh, if only my friends were here,_ she thought mournfully. The cold breeze felt bitter against her skin. She heard more voices as they drew closer. She didn't want to try to figure out what they were saying. She was too scared and distressed for Cheese and herself.

She suddenly felt herself being dropped on the ground, and the hood was being yanked off of her head. Numerous black figures stood over her. She let out a gasp despite herself. She turned her head and saw Cheese laying on the ground next to her. He looked a bit dazed as he rubbed his head. "Oooh… what happened?" His forehead had a small bruise on it. Pinkie hiccuped and threw her arms around him. "Cheesie!" She cried. "You're okay!"

A gruff voice spoke up. "Put them in the cage. We have less then ten minutes." Pinkie growled. "Now you listen here, Mr. Masked pony. We have _rights,_ ya know!" Cheese bared his teeth. "Yeah! You best let us go right now!"

The pony looked down at them, unfazed. "Sedate them." Pinkie felt something sharp poke her side. "Owie! Hey!" Cheese was poked in the rump. "YEEOW!"

The masked ponies grabbed them, and dragged them to a cart that had a cage that was covered by a large thick black sheet. The ponies opened the cage, and forced them inside. As soon as the cage was locked, they threw the black sheet over the whole cage, leaving the two ponies in the dark. Pinkie began to feel sluggish, and started to sway. "Ohh…" Cheese was already lying down on his stomach. Pinkie fell down beside him. Cheese gazed at her through his bleary eyes. "...Pinks… I'm… s...sorry…" Pinkie relaxed her head against the cage floor and tried to smile. "Issnot your fault Cheese… its…. okay." She sighed, her voice barely sounds of outside slowly started to fade away. Her eyes started to close. "It's alright…" The world faded to black.


	4. Gone Baby Gone

A green mare sighed as she shuffled through some papers. It had been a long day approving warrants, putting away folders, and taking a few prank calls. But it was mostly the stapling. Lots and lots of stapling. "I'm going now, Celia," A rose pink unicorn called.

Celia rubbed the back of her neck and gave a tired smile. "D'accord. Au revoir, Marla."

Marla smiled, and adjusted her thick rimmed glasses. "Try not to work too hard, Celie. Have a good night!" She opened the door and left.

Celia leaned back in her chair and stretched her wings.[i] Only two more hours to go, Celia. You can do it…[/i]

Her ears suddenly perked up. She heard voices. Small voices. [i]What in the…[/i]

The front doors of the Prance Police station flew open and a bunch of fillies and colts came pouring into the station, shouting all at once. Some of them were hovering above her, their wings buzzing urgently, and others were spurting out bursts of magic, completely rattled. Celia's head jerked from child to child. [i]Good gracious! What are they all doing here at this time of night? And where in Equestria are their parents? [/i]

She stood up, and raised her hooves. "[i]Everypony![/i]"

The shouting stopped at once, and the small ponies stood still. The pegasi in the air slowly floated to the ground. All of their faces were flushed, their manes matted with sweat. They were all breathing heavily. [i]It looks like they ran here,[/i] Celia thought. She lowered her hooves onto the desk. "Now, can somepony tell me what happened?" A colt raised his hoof. She nodded in his direction.

He exhaled and spoke. "We were… at this party…"

"What party?"

A little filly with braces spoke up. "Our uncle Cosmo's anniversary party!"

Cecelia's eyebrows shot up. "You mean [i]Cosmo Rays[/i] and [i]Honey Bee's[/i] 20th anniversary party?"

"Oui, that's the one!"

Cecilia knew that that party was going to be held tonight. It was all over the news, as well as the papers. Her heart lurched. Something obviously went terribly wrong. She nodded. "Alright, go on, go on."

The first Colt spoke again. "While the adults were having their party, we had a tent of our own not too far away… but I think they were being robbed."

Cecilia's eyes widened. "Robbed?"

"Yes!" An orange filly shouted, jumping up and down. "There were all these ponies with masks and stuff, and they tried to get in our tent! But then Pinkie blasted them with a party cannon! It was all like BOOM!"

The mare blinked. "Party cannon?" She shook her head. "Y-You know what, never mind that. Did you just say Pinkie?"

The first colt nodded. "Oui. Madame Pinkie and Monsieur Cheese. They were watching us."

"They saved us!" The smallest filly said.

"They held the rascals back while we made a break for it." A dignified colt said.

Cecilia looked behind the children, and saw no one.

Her mouth felt dry.

Pinkie Pie? The bearer of laughter, a close friend of Princess Twilight, one of Equestria's [i]saviors[/i]… and Cheese Sandwich, the professional party planner who traveled all Equestria, planning parties for everyone, including her niece's graduation party a just few years ago?!

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Where are Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich now?" The children went silent, and looked at each other. The first colt lifted his head solemnly. "We don't know. They told me to lead them out of there so we could escape. They would've caught up to us by now."

[i]Oh my God…[/i]

Cecilia immediately reached for her radio. "What about your parents? Are they still at the mansion?"

"I think so. But I don't know if the masked ponies are gone yet."

"They are!" The filly with braces piped up. "I saw them starting to go up the hill while we were running."

Cecilia pressed the button on the radio. "Randy! Randy, come in. We've got a big problem."

[hr]

Mrs. Cake swept the floor as Mr. Cake changed the sign outside from OPEN to CLOSED. He walked over to his wife and pulled her into a side hug. "We did good today honey lump," He said with a smile.

Cup Cake returned the smile, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Business is booming as usual, dear." She sighed. "Although things seem a lot quieter around here with Pinkie gone."

Carrot smiled wryly. "You too, huh? I was thinking the same thing. The twins are starting to miss her."

"Yes…" She took a deep breath. "Well, I know that Pinkie wouldn't want us to mope around like this. Her letter said that she would be coming back soon. She seems to be having a wonderful time."

Carrot nodded. "That's good." He yawned. "I'm bushed. Let's finish cleaning this up so we can hit the sack."

Cup Cake chuckled. "I'm all for that idea. I'm about ready to turn in myself."

A news report flashed over the Cake's T.V. screen, cutting out the food channel. "It's probably about the shortage of mangos again," Mrs. Cake said irritably.

Mr. Cake shook his head as he started to wash the dishes. "The Economy these days."

[b][i]"Breaking News. PNN reports that a grand theft robbery has occurred at Madame Honey Bee and Cosmo Ray's 20th Anniversary celebration in Paris Prance."[/i][/b]

Mrs. Cake gasped and dropped her broom. Mr. Cake immediately turned off the faucet.

[i][b]"At about 10:00 tonight, Prance time, a group of fillies and colts burst through the Paris Police Department doors, reporting a robbery at the mansion a few miles away. Here's Jet Blazes with the details, Jet?" [/b][/i]

The footage cut to a male unicorn in a suit holding a microphone. He was right in the middle of the garden where the party was previously held. All around him, ponies were limping around, the paramedics trying to bandage them up as much as they could. Jet Blazes kept walking, the camera following him everywhere he went.

[b][i]"It's chaos here, Dave. The party's been completely trashed. Banners have been torn down. Ponies left and right have either been robbed, beaten up, or both."[/i][/b]

He gestured to the ground.

[b][i]"As you can see, there are bits of clothing, jewelry, and trash thrown all over the place, and, if you look closely, blood."[/i][/b]

The camera focused back on Blazes' face.

[b][i]"These ponies were hit, and they were hit hard. Nopony saw this coming. Police believes that the sinister sixty was indeed the cause of all this. Now, we don't know the extent of everypony's injuries or the amount of items that were stolen, but we will keep you posted. Reporting from Paris Prance, Jet Blazes, PNN News. Back to you, Dave."[/i][/b]

Mrs. Cake heart hammered with worry. "But what about [i]Pinkie Pie?![/i]" She moaned in frustration. Before Mr. Cake could say anything, Dave Bulletin reappeared on the screen.

[b][i]"Police also reports that the planners of the soiree have gone missing."[/i][/b]

A picture flashed across the screen. It was the exact picture that Madame Honey had taken of Pinkie and Cheese in front of the window the day before. The Eiffel tower was visible in the background.

[b][i]"Cheese Albert Sandwich and Pinkamena Diane Pie were with the children at the time of the robbery and helped them escape and held the thieves back. By the time authorities arrived, the two young ponies, as well as the sinister sixty were nowhere to be seen. It does appear that they have been abducted."[/i][/b]

Carrot Cake felt himself go weak in the knees. Cup Cake collapsed to the floor.

[hr]

Rarity hustled down the crowded sidewalk of Manehattan, trying not to bump into too many ponies as she brushed by. "Excuse me! Oh, pardon. So sorry!" She was often met with less than pleasant replies. [i]Some Manehattanites.[/i] Her eyes fell on a taxi just a block away. Without a moments waste, she took off running, mumbling apologies as she galloped past.

Her face brightened as she neared her destination. "Taxi! Yoo-hoo, Taxi!" Just as she was about to approach, the seat was promptly taken by two business ponies, and the stallion who was pulling sped off. Rarity moaned in exasperation. "I can never get a taxi in this city! I'm already late for my lunch meat with Coco as it is!"

A pony rudely bumped her to the side as he stomped past. She threw her head back. "Ugh! This couldn't possibly get any worse!" Just as the words left her mouth, rain started pouring down over the city. The wind started to pick up, blowing harshly against her face. She lowered her head with a deadpanned expression. "I just [i]had[/i] to say something, [i]didn't[/i] I?" Her mane was quickly soaked by the rain.

Ponies around her simply put up their umbrellas and continued walking.

[i]Humph. The one day I didn't bring an umbrella…[/i] A gust of wind blew by, and a newspaper flew into her face. "Mmph!" irritated, she pulled it off, and was about to throw it in a nearby trashcan when something on the newspaper caught her eye.

"Ooh, Honey Bee's Anniversary! I just adore her perfume li—[i]robbery?![/i]" Her eyes continued to scan the front page. "Oh, those poor ponies! And the children! Why— "

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw Pinkie Pie's photo, as well as Cheese's in the middle of the column. "What in the…" She read further. Her heart stopped. Her mouth hung open as she stared into space.

An elderly woman came up to the unicorn, looking concerned. She tentatively placed a hoof on Rarity's shoulder, but she remained frozen. "Miss? Are you alright? Miss?"

[hr]

Rainbow Dash sat with her father, Electric Spectrum, on the couch. Electric unconsciously flipped through the channels with the remote.

Rainbow stared at the screen, her eyes half lidded. "Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope."

She and her father had had a blast together the last several days. They had gone to see the movies, played sports, went to games, and spent time at amusement parks. Today… they felt like doin' nothin'. Rainbow enjoyed spending time with her old man, no matter what they were doing.

She rested her cheek on one hoof. Electric yawned. "There's nothing good on T.V. Sunday's," He said.

The corners of Rainbow's mouth turned up slightly. "Don't worry, Dad. I'll find us something." Electric gave a lazy smile as he continued to flip through the channels. Rainbow blinked nonchalantly as each channel went by. "Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope…" Then she saw a flash of pink go by. Rainbow lurched forward in her seat. "Whoa, whoa, wait, go back go back go back!" Electric went back a channel. It was PNN news.

Before he could ponder why Rainbow was so interested in the news all of the sudden, when he saw a familiar sight meet his eye. It was Pinkie Pie, one of Rainbow's and Fluttershy's closest friends. A stallion beside her had an arm wrapped around her shoulders. Both were grinning happily at the camera. The sun was setting behind them, as well as the Eiffel tower to their right.

[b][i]"As the robbery fiasco dies down, police focuses their full attention on the disappearance of the two ponies that planned and hosted the party. One of them is named Pinkamena Diane Pie, or Pinkie Pie for short. She is age 20, and she has a pink coat and a pink and curly mane and tail. Her eyes are light blue. She has balloons as her cutie mark.

The other is Cheese Albert Sandwich, age 21. He has a light orange coat, and he often wears a bright yellow shirt. His mane and tail are dark brown and curly. He has green eyes. His cutie mark is an image of an accordion.

The two were last seen performing a number for the children, and then helped them escape at the time of the robbery. When the police went back to the kid's tent to investigate, all that remained was a party cannon and a rubber chicken with a number 2 painted on its torso. The ground was littered with confetti, as well as a few drops of blood."[/i][/b]

"[i]What?![/i]" Rainbow shouted, leaping from the couch.

"Hey, wasn't he the pony that helped planning your Bitrthaversary?" Electric asked.

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah." She glanced at the T.V. again and shook her head. "I'm sorry, dad. I gotta go. My friends need me!"

Electric got up from the couch, and gave her a loving hug. "I know." Rainbow leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Electric shook his head, smiling. "Don't be. Your friends are in trouble. Do what you have to do." He pulled back and smiled. "I'm real proud of you, kiddo," he said, ruffling her mane. "Just be careful, okay?"

Rainbow grinned slightly. "Ah, you know me. I'm always careful." She gave her dad a nuzzle, and then headed for the door.

When she opened it, Fluttershy was standing outside, her hoof hanging in the air. "Oh!" She looked at the cyan Pegasus, her face twisted with worry. "Rainbow Dash, did you hear?"

Rainbow nodded, her expression dark."I heard all right."

"Where do we go? What do we do?"

"We find the others. Take this to Princess Celestia. She'll know what to do."

Fluttershy nodded, and looked behind her friend, into the house. "Hello, Mr. Spectrum."

Electric nodded and smiled. "Hello, Fluttershy."

Rainbow looked back and waved at her dad before looking back at her friend. "Let's go." The pegasi rose into the air, and took off, flying as fast as their wings could take them.

[hr]

Applejack breathed in the morning air and exhaled with a smile on her face. She was glad that morning had finally come. It had been chaos the night before. The foal had come a week earlier, and no one was prepared.

Apple Crisp went into full monster mode, screaming, wailing, throwing hair brushes at anyone who dared to come near her. In fear of harming the foal, they didn't try to get her to the hospital, instead, the baby would have to be delivered inside the house. Of course, not everyone was quick to volunteer. There weren't many candidates to begin with.

Her husband, Hot Pepper, had already fainted. Granny Smith was wise, but she had a shaky grip. Big Mac was strong, but he didn't want to get to know Apple Crisp that way. Apple Bloom wanted to do it, but she was quickly denied. And Braeburn sure as heck didn't wanna do it.

So that led Applejack.

Now, she didn't have any experience with delivering foals… well, she had delivered baby animals, but she didn't want to make any life changing mistakes. Thankfully, Granny was there to give her guidance. As it turned out, it wasn't that much different from delivering a farm animal. She just had to be a tad gentler, that was all. It was a beautiful foal. She was a tiny thing, not much bigger than a shoe. She was the color of peaches, and her mane and tail was the color of mahogany; which is what the parents had named her. It had been an emotional night for all. No one slept, except for Apple Crisp and the foal.

For a while, anyway.

It had been three o'clock in the morning when Mahogany started crying. Everyone took turns holding her, rocking her, feeding her, and burping her.

Applejack chuckled at the memory. [i]Lil' seed ain't even been born 21 hours yet, and already her diaper's been changed five times…[/i]

When Mahogany would be crying nonstop, Applejack would try her hoof at talking to her. She didn't remember what about, but she was babblin' and babblin' all throughout the night. Mahogany would stop crying sometimes, and look up at Applejack, her expression curious.

Her family was amazed at this. "Wow, sis, How'd you do that?" Apple Bloom grinned.

Granny Smith snickered. "It's gotta be that heavy accent you got there, girl!" She chuckled. "Big Mac was the same. Every time somepony talked to him, as long as they got that heavy accent, he was all ears. Who woulda thought?"

So Applejack had stayed up talking to the filly until she finally fell asleep. Hot Pepper had thanked her, and took over.

Now, Applejack watched as the sun peeked over the mountains of Dodge Junction. Her muscles ached, her nose burned, and her eyes had dark circles under them, but she smiled anyway. She was quite proud of what she had accomplished, despite the few hiccups.

A tiny scream rang out from inside the house. "AP-PLE JAAAAAAACK!" She heard her sister yell.

The mare sighed and headed back towards the house. "I'm comin'!"

[hr]

After a few minutes, Mahogany had calmed down. Applejack brought her to the living room where the others were relaxing. She rocked her back and forth, softly mumbling an old Apple family lullaby.

[i]Summertime, when the livin is easy

The fish are jumpin' and the apples are ripe

Your daddy's rich and your momma's good lookin'

So hush, little baby don't you cry[/i]

Apple Bloom appeared to be yelling something from upstairs, but her voice was muffled. "What?!" Granny yelled back.

[i]One of these mornings, you're gonna rise up singing

And you'll spread your wings and you'll take to the sky

But until that morning, there ain't nothing gonna haunt you…[/i]

"I still can't hear you, Apple Bloom, come down!" Granny shouted.

[i]With your daddy and momma standing by…[/i]

Apple Bloom trampled down the stairs with a radio in her mouth. Applejack looked up. "Apple Bloom, what— "

"[i]Shh![/i]" The filly hissed after she placed the radio on the floor. "Listen, everypony, listen!"

[b][i]"Police and the Royal Guard alike are putting together search teams for Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich, the recent saviors of all 31 fillies and colts. The Sinister Six are estimated to be still on the move, so residents beyond the borders of Paris and or Prance are warned."[/i][/b]

Applejack's eyes widened. "What?!"

Apple Bloom turned to look at the family with fear and sorrow in her eyes. "They got Pinkie Pie! And Cheese Sandwich!" Collective gasps filled the room. Applejack's expression turned from horror to determination. She calmly got up, and gave the foal to Apple Crisp.

She turned to her little sister. "Apple Bloom, I need to know everything you heard on the radio, how, when, and where." She retrieved her Stetson and placed it on top of her head. "Ya'll should check on the Cakes, see if they heard the news. If they haven't then they'll need all the comfort in the world right now."

Granny looked truly distressed. "Those poor folks. We outta head back to Ponyville to see how they're holdin' up." Big Mac and Apple Bloom nodded earnestly. Applejack went upstairs to collect her things, and then came back down.

"Where are you goin' A.J.?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Canterlot. The rest of my friends are elsewhere, but I reckon that that's where they're headed. I need to get the heck out of Dodge. Now."

Breaburn nodded solemnly. "I know the fastest train."

[hr]

Twilight Sparkle frantically paced up and down the royal carpet in the castle hallway. With the Canterlot Castle having its hoof on the pulse of news in Equestria, Twilight had found out about the incident quickly. [i]How could this happen? What are they doing to her? Are they alright? Are they hurt? Are they being mistreated?[/i] She let a low, distressed moan as she continued pacing.

Spike silently watched her pace back and forth, feeling rather miserable. He was worried. Worried about his friends. The baby dragon wished he could give her comforting and encouraging words, but he had none. They were waiting for the others to arrive. Some had sent hastily written letters, and others Twilight would already know would come. The alicorn's wings twitched. She felt absolutely frustrated and apprehensive by just doing nothing. But she was under strict orders from Princess Celestia to not take any action until the rest of her friends arrived.

Just then, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew through the large doors, barely giving the guards time to open them up properly. "Girls!" Twilight cried in relief. The pegasi touched down on the floor beside the princess.

They hugged each other tightly. "Oh, Twilight," Fluttershy breathed, as they released themselves from the hug. "This is just [i]awful.[/i]" A few unshed tears collected at the edges of her eyes.

"How in [i]the hay[/i] did they let this happen?" Rainbow Dash said angrily. "They had security, didn't they? Madame Honey is the freakin' [i]mayor[/i] of [i]Paris![/i] No cameras, no watch dogs, no laser beams, no [i]anything!?[/i]"

Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder. "I know you're upset. We all are. But we have to keep cool heads right now. For their sake."

Rainbow gave a deep sigh and lowered her head. "I know. I'm just… worried."

"I know."

Fluttershy turned her head and noticed Spike watching them. "Hi, Spike," She said softly, walking over to him.

Spike simply lowered his gaze. "Hi." He said glumly.

Fluttershy gently wrapped her hoof around the young dragon and gave him a strained smile. "They'll be okay. I know they will." Spike looked up at the kind Pegasus, and smiled halfheartedly.

There was a sudden clopping of hooves and heavy panting from outside the doors. Rarity rushed in, her face flushed. Her raincoat was hastily buttoned, and her mane was all over the place.

"Rarity!" The ponies exclaimed.

The unicorn dragged herself over, breathing very heavily. "I…*Gasp* came as quickly *Gasp* as I could….*Gasp* what's *Gasp* what's the news?"

Twilight shook her head. "Nothing yet, as far as I know. Now we just have to wait for— "

"I'm here! I'm here!" An exhausted voice shouted from the other hallway.

"—Applejack." Twilight finished.

"Twilight, you here? Where are you?"

"We're in here, A.J.!" Rainbow called.

Applejack poked her head in, and smiled. "Thank goodness," She sighed as she walked in and received hugs from her friends. "Heavens to Betsy, wouldn't you know it, the train broke down, so I had to haul flank over here." Her expression grew serious. "What's goin' on? What do we do?"

"Right now, we're going to the throne room," Twilight said, as they walked down the carpet, receiving bows from the guards. "All the princesses are waiting for us with my brother." She looked ahead anxiously. "Hopefully, they'll have something…"


	5. Save Our Souls and Sandwiches

[i]Pinkie stuffed the last of the balloons into her saddlebag before tossing it onto her back. She had everything. She was ready. Pinkie turned to Gummy, who was sitting on her bed. She smiled and nuzzled the toothless alligator affectionately. "Now, you be good, Gummy! I'm gonna miss you sooo much." She kissed him on the head. "I love you."

Blink.

She laughed. "No, silly. I love[/i] you [i]more."[/i]

[i]Blink.

Pinkie scowled. "I LOVE YOU MORE!"

Gummy didn't blink.

Pinkie giggled and patted him on the head, satisfied. "Bye, Gummy! Take care of the Cakes!" She waltzed out of the bedroom door with her game face on. It's go time. She cart wheeled down the stairs and preformed an impossible back flip onto the floor. "Ta-daaaa!"

The twins laughed and crawled up to Pinkie. She rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Ah heh…. You saw that didn't you?" She looked around the living room. The Cakes were still taking orders near the front. She knelt next to the twins with a sheepish smile on her face. "Don't tell mommy and daddy. Also, don't repeat that." Pound started crawling on top of her head and Pumpkin tried to chew on her mane. "I[/i] knew [i]you'd understand!"[/i]

[i]Cup Cake came in through the swinging doors with dough smeared all over her. "Pumpkin, Pound, stop that!" She scooped up the twins, much to their aggravation. Cup smiled at her tenant. "Do you have everything you need, dearie?"

"I sure do!" Pinkie affirmed, confetti shooting out from her saddlebag. Cup chuckled. Mr. Cake strolled in through the doors with a paper bag in his mouth. Pinkie leaned forward on her hooves. "What's in there?" She asked.

Carrot set the bag down in front of the curious pink mare and smiled. "Ginger snaps for our Ginger snap."

"A little something for the road." Mrs. Cake said.

Pinkie bounced up and down in excitement. "Oooh, Ginger snaps!" She grabbed the bag, and shoved it down in her saddlebag, careful not to let any balloons escape. "I'll try not to eat them all on the way to the train!" She giggled. She stretched her arms and hugged the both of them. "Thank you guys so much! You're the best!"

Cup Cake rubbed her back. "I hope you have a happy trip, Pinkie." Once the hug was over, Pinkie grabbed the twins and showered them with kisses. The twins always loved that.

"Auntie Pinkie loves you! Yes she does! Yes she does!" The babies squealed happily, nuzzling her and touching her face. "I'll see you real soon, okay?"

She handed them over to their parents. "Bye Guys!" She called, making her way towards the front door.

"Bye dearie! Be sure to write!" Cup Cake called.

"And be careful!" Carrot said.

Pinkie looked back and flashed them a bright smile. "I will! You know me… Pinkie Safety Pie!"[/i]

The first thing Pinkie Pie felt was a hard metal surface. The second thing was the awful headache that assaulted her skull. Pinkie slowly lifted a hoof to her head. "Ohh…"

A soft voice started to reach her ears. "..[i]inkie?[/i] [i]Pi..kie?[/i]" She felt a gentle nudge. "[i]Pink[/i]ie? It's me. Wake up, Pinks." Slowly, Pinkie's eyes fluttered open. At first, she saw nothing but a grey blur, but colors and shapes started to look more obvious once she blinked a few times. Looking up, she saw yellow, brown, and then orange.

"Cheese?" She whispered.

Cheese lowered himself next to her. "Yeah, it's me," He said quietly. "Are you alright?"

Pinkie yawned and nodded slowly. "Uh-huh. I'm just reaaaally dizzy… and reaaally sleepy. Dude, Somepony totally spiked my root beer last night."

Cheese chuckled. "You didn't have any root beer last night, Pinkie."

"…Oh…" She glanced up at him, her eyes staring to focus a bit. "What happened? Where are we?"

Cheese frowned sadly. He didn't want to alarm her, yet she deserved the truth of the situation. He tried to choose his words carefully. "We… we've been taken last night. The ponies with masks… they put us in here last night." He looked around.

"In this cage."

Memories from the night before started pouring into Pinkie's brain like a waterfall. They were all terribly frightening. She shuddered visibly. The warm feeling and the delicious smells of the bakery had vanished. All the love and laughter had been replaced by fear and uncertainty. It had all been a dream. Her mane deflated just a little. "Oh." Was all she could manage. With her vision back to normal, she looked Cheese over for any injuries. There was a tiny bruise on his forehead. "Are you okay?"

Cheese touched a hoof to his head and nodded. "Yeah. They got me pretty good there, but I'll be fine."

Pinkie nodded slowly. Through the thick black sheet that covered the cage, she was able to see sunlight. She also noticed that they were moving. "How long were we asleep?" She wondered.

"I don't know. I'd guess almost a whole day. I only woke up two minutes before you did."

Pinkie put on a determined face. "Then I guess we'll have to break out of here!" As she got up, a wave of dizziness washed over her, but she was able to keep herself standing. She stumbled over to the cage door and started to push against it. "HNNNGGG! HRRUUNNNGGG!"

No dice.

"Let me help," Cheese offered. He hoisted himself up and almost fell over. "Whoa, whoa, whoooaaaa…." He regained his footing with a triumphant grin on his face.

Pinkie had to giggle.

Together, they pushed against the cage with all their strength, but nothing budged. Cheese sighed, and sat on his haunches. "Nope. It's no use."

Pinkie tilted her head sideways, and started to chew on the metal bars. "Nom nom nom…"

Cheese bit his lip to keep from laughing at the adorable sight. "Pinks, what…what are you doing?"

"I'm gnawing through the bars! They'll have to give in sooner or later! Nom nom…" After a few minutes, Pinkie groaned in frustration. She threw her head back. "YOU'LL NEVER TAKE US ALIVE!"

"I thought they just [i]did[/i] take us alive, Pinks," Cheese reminded her.

There was a banging against the outside of the cage. "SHUT UP!" A voice screamed.

Pinkie pouted angrily. "A please and thank you would've been nice!" The voice only grunted in response. The pink mare sat down with her arms crossed. "If my friends were here, we'd give it to them big time." She mumbled.

"You still have magic inside you, right?" Cheese asked. "Maybe you could use your superpowers to break us out."

Pinkie rubbed her chin. "I [i]guess [/i]so… but I never tried to do it on my own before. We haven't tried the rainbow bomb thing since we defeated Tirek… and that was weeks ago." A devious smile formed on her face. "Then again… I [i]would[/i] like to see them taste the rainbow."

"That's the spirit!" Cheese laughed as they got back on their hooves. "Do you want me to stand back, or..."

"Yeah. That'd be a good idea."

Cheese backed up to the far end on the cage and gave the O.K.

Pinkie squeezed her eyes shut tight, and concentrated. Like all the times before, she thought of all the things that made her happy to harness the energy of laughter. Her best friends, her family, The Cakes, Gummy, parties, Ponyville, Sugar cube corner, singing, dancing, playing practical jokes, birthdays, Cheese, used furniture, desserts…Friendship is Magic!

"Anything?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"…You look like you're constipated," She heard Cheese say with a small laugh. Pinkie opened her eyes. Nothing.

She sighed. "I'm sorry, Cheese. The force just isn't with me today."

Cheese went over to the pink mare and wrapped an arm around her. "It's all right, Pinkie. You did what you could. We'll find another way out, don't worry."

Pinkie nodded sadly. "I hope so."

Cheese looked upon Pinkie's solemn face with guilt. He mentally kicked himself. He was disappointed with himself in many ways. He failed to protect Pinkie Pie. He wasn't strong enough to fend the thieves off. He wished that he had made Pinkie go with the kids. He wished that they had taken him only, instead of her. But he couldn't go back in time. What happened happened. All he could do now was make sure that none would hurt Pinkie in the future…somehow.

[hr]

About five minutes later, the two ponies were lying side by side on their backs, staring up at the top of the covered cage. They could hear distant conversations from outside but they all sounded distorted. Pinkie glanced sideways at her partner. He glanced back at her with a small smile. "Did you always live in Ponyville, Pinks?" He asked suddenly.

"…Well, not always. I grew up on a rock farm." Cheese's eyebrows shot up. Pinkie Pie on a [i]rock farm?[/i] Pinkie giggled at Cheese's expression. "I know. I get that a lot. I lived there with my parents and my sisters. I left when I was eight."

Cheese turned over on his side to face her. "Why'd you leave your home so young? Did something happen?"

Pinkie shook her head. "No. I love my family. I really do. But they were really into rocks. And I just wasn't. I tried to convince myself that maybe I just hadn't grown into it yet, but once I got my cutie mark, I realized my true purpose in life. Making ponies smile. I wanted to spread laughter, and joy, and happiness to others. But I couldn't do that spending my whole life at the farm. It just wasn't my thing. I saw Ponyville on the family map, and I thought it would be the perfect place to spread cheer."

"And your parents let you go?" Cheese asked.

"Not at first. They were a bit miffed about me leaving to an entirely different town, being so little and all. But it turned out that my Granny Pie was good friends with the Cakes, and she convinced my parents to let me go." She smiled. "I think I get my enthusiasm from her."

She looked at the pony beside her. "What about you, Cheese?"

Cheese smiled a little. "You already know, Pinks. I went over it in song, remember?"

"I don't think that's the only reason you left," Pinkie said softly.

The stallion sighed. He knew better than to try to hide anything from Pinkie. It was like she saw right through him. She probably could. He let his eyes wander. "My parents weren't around much. My dad was a standup comedian, but he was a different pony when he came home. Gave us the cold shoulder.

My mom was a lawyer, but she didn't come home often, unless it was every other weekend. My dad was suspicious because he thought that she was seeing somepony else. He was right. My mom left us when I was nine. That made him angry. He started yelling more, and he started breaking stuff around the house. Thankfully though, my aunt Blueberry stepped in and took me and my brother in while my uncle took dad to therapy. It was really fun living with her. She cared for us, made us laugh… and she loved us."

"That sounds wonderful," Pinkie said brightly.

"It was. We lived with her for a year. Then one day…. She disappeared. We couldn't find her anywhere. It was like she had never existed. She was only about your age."

"What happened to her? Pinkie asked, her expression crossed between concern and sadness.

Cheese shook his head. "I don't know. My brother was so angry, he ran off. Nopony could find him. I didn't know what to do. I was so scared; I decided to run away before FPS could find me. I didn't have any reason to stay. I didn't have any friends. My parents were who-knows-where. My brother and aunt were nowhere to be seen. So I left." He smiled softly. "And then I met you."

Pinkie smiled, her expression still just a little sad. "I remember you. You were the kid with glasses and a rubber chicken on his back. Ka-razy looking mane."

Cheese laughed. "Ha! Oh sister, my mane couldn't even [i]compare[/i] to that wild afro you were sporting."

Pinkie sat up gasped in mock offense. "Hey!"

"Just kidding, Pinks," Cheese said with a chuckle, sitting upright. "I actually really liked your mane." He glanced at the floor bashfully. "I still do."

Pinkie blushed.

They sat in silence for awhile. Cheese suddenly spoke. "You wanna hear a joke?"

Pinkie smiled. "I could use a joke right about now."

[hr]

The mane five, plus Spike walked into the throne room with anticipation beating in their hearts. Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Shining Armor were all waiting for them. All seemed somber, as well as sympathetic. "Hello, girls. Spike." Celestia greeted with a soft smile.

"Hi, Princess," They chorused.

Twilight immediately embraced her brother tightly. She buried her face in his shoulder, trying to keep the tears from falling. Shining nuzzled her softly. "Twily, I'm so sorry. Don't worry, we'll find them." He whispered. Twilight nodded as they released.

"So, what's being done?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well, first we made sure that everypony knows what's going on," Shining said. "We also made sure that Pinkie Pie's and Cheese Sandwich's faces are well known. Posters have been put up. We're getting tips from all over as we speak."

[hr]

Officer Justice was frantically trying to get what everyone was shouting at once, claiming to have seen the missing ponies. He frantically tried to jot everything down on paper with his magic. "They rode the express train!" Giles said frantically.

"The pink one stole him from me!" Misty shouted.

"Those whippersnappers woke me up from my nap!"

"We all sang a song together on the train!"

"They bought my streamers!"

"She used my bathroom!"

"He defied the laws of physics!"

"One of them looks like my mother!"

"I saw them with Discord!"

"Excuse me, but is there a dentist nearby?"

[hr]

"The royal guard is hard at work trying to find them. The police are teaming up with us on this one. So far, nothing has turned up." Shining finished.

"We have another problem to address," Princess Luna said. "With Pinkie Pie gone, you are one element short."

Rarity frowned. "That would mean if some new threat were to appear…"

"…We can't stop it." Fluttershy finished sadly. "Not without Pinkie."

Luna nodded. "Precisely. This puts all of Equestria at great risk."

Twilight straightened up, with a newfound fire burning in her chest. "Not if we have anything to say about it."

"Just tell us what to do and we'll do it." Applejack said.

"Since almost all of Equestria knows about the disappearances, it is likely that the Sinister Sixty knows too." Princess Celestia said. "They will try to evade any high-ranked search team that threatens their cover."

"But that's where you come in," Cadence smiled. "We need a small group of ponies that know Pinkie and Cheese more than any of us. A group of ponies that are able to slip [i]under[/i] the radar."

Rainbow beamed and did a hoof pump. "A rescue mission! Now [i]that's[/i] what I'm talking about!"

Spike genuinely smiled for the first time since he heard about the incident. "Can I come too?"

Celestia smiled. "Of course you can, Spike."

"But won't ponies find it suspicious with us gone?" Rarity inquired.

Shining spoke up. "We have already announced that the Princesses have brought the bearers of harmony to the Canterlot Castle for their safety, and that the elements are stricken with grief. The public seems to buy it. Whatever the public knows will surely reach the Sinister Six."

Twilight rubbed her chin. "I guess we'll have to keep a silent vigil then."

Rarity beamed. "And I know the perfect ensemble for this occasion!"

[hr]

"Is this really necessary?" Applejack whispered. The moon was just rising over the hills as the five ponies and dragon snuck their way to the train station. All of the girls were wearing long, black capes with hoods. Spike was wearing a black sweat jacket with a hood. He also wore black sunglasses.

"Of course it is," Rarity frowned. "We want to remain unseen, don't we?"

"Pinkie would've loved this," Fluttershy said quietly. The others nodded.

"Yes, she would." Twilight sighed. "Maybe when this is over, we can make capes for Pinkie and Cheese too."

Rainbow shook her head, but smiled in spite of herself. "They'd flippin' lose their minds."

Spike lowered his glasses. "Train station's up ahead."

"And not a pony in sight," Twilight smiled. "We made it."

"So, where are we going?" Her assistant asked.

"Prance. That's where this whole mess started. Hopefully, we can find any clues that the police might have missed."

Applejack lifted her weary head to look up at the stars. She hoped they were alright, wherever they were.

[hr]

"…And then he said [i]mint![/i]"

Pinkie fell over on her back, laughing. It took her four minutes to recover. "That… was so.…funny!" She gasped.

"I knew you'd like it!" Cheese chuckled. Suddenly, the cage lurched to a halt. The laughter immediately stopped. They heard several hoof steps ton gravel from outside. Ponies were talking in low, gruff voices.

The sheet over the cage was suddenly pulled off. There were numerous ponies dressed in black all around them. They were loading stolen items off the carts. Some were stretching their legs. One pony, which had pulled off the cage, was standing in front of them, glaring at them with cold eyes. Cheese instinctively stood protectively in front of Pinkie. Another pony in black came up and unlocked the cage.

Pinkie shivered. This was not good. Not good [i]at all.[/i]

The pony that opened the cage grabbed Cheese by the shirt collar and yanked him out. "Cheese!" Pinkie gasped.

The other pony with the cold glare grabbed her and pulled her out of the cage and onto the ground. "Ooff!" She looked over and saw Cheese held to the ground by his assailant. She gritted her teeth in anger, and tried to wiggle free of her own captor. "Let go! Let go!" Poison Ivy suddenly came up to her and kicked her in the side. Pinkie cried out involuntarily as tears of pain stung her eyes.

Cheese's insides boiled with rage. "Hey!" He shouted angrily. "Leave her alone!" The pony that held him punched him in the ribs. The party pony bit his tongue to keep himself from shouting in pain, but tears obscured his vision. The pony smirked.

"You can't take much, can you?"

"Enough," Said Sal, walking over to them. "Let's get them inside." The two ponies were yanked to their hooves. Poison shoved Pinkie by Cheese's side, and they started walking. Cheese gave Pinkie a look that said [i]Are you okay?[/i] Pinkie nodded in response.

The night was cold. The moonlight shone down on them from overhead. Crickets chirped from a distance. They were approaching a large mountain with a big cave opening.

Pinkie thought about how she missed her family and friends. She wondered if they knew that they were missing. Were they looking for them? What If Cheese and herself would never make it back home? How would it affect the ponies she cared about? What would happen to Ponyville? Who would be around to make ponies smile? Or what about the poor Cake twins? How would the Cakes explain why their aunt Pinkie would never come back?

She closed her eyes ridding herself of those thoughts. No. She [i]would[/i] come back. They [i]will[/i] find their way out of this. She wouldn't lose herself. She would stay positive and keep the laughter in her heart no matter what. Their spirits [i]will[/i] remain lifted! It was like what Granny Pie used to say: Hardships are inevitable, misery is optional!

By then, they had entered the mouth of the cave. After a few seconds of walking through complete darkness, they stepped into a whole underground facility filled with machines, gadgets, maps, and mostly, stolen items. Pinkie and Cheese were stunned. The place was huge. There was even electricity to light up the place. The band of thieves all spread out to different stations, talking loudly and freely. "This would be so cool if I wasn't terrified," Pinkie whispered.

"Ditto," Cheese whispered back. They were brought down some stairs and were led through a long narrow hallway until they came to a door. When Sal opened the door, it revealed a room with a giant rug, some couches, a large table and a large flat screen T.V.

"Sit." Poison commanded. Reluctantly, they did as they were told. Their hooves were instantly chained so that they could not run away.

"Esme and Red are on their way over here," Sal said to his group. "They were informed about the prisoners. Now, since you let them see your faces, I think it's only fitting if you are the ones to explain."

Steel and Poison lowered their heads.

Pinkie leaned over. "This isn't good. We need an escape plan, fast!" She whispered.

"I think I might have one in motion," Cheese whispered back. "I need to get to a storm drain of some kind."

"How can you, when you're in chains?"

Cheese gave her a confident smirk. "No chains can contain me." He lifted his head. "Excuse me, violent kidnappers!"

The thieves turned and glared at him. "What?" Steel spat.

"I have to squeeze the lemon." The ponies rolled their eyes. Poison Ivy looked disgusted.

"Well, you'll just have to hold it," Sal said snidely. "Bathrooms are on the other side of this facility, but a couple of ponies would just [i]love[/i] to make your acquaintance."

Cheese pouted as the thieves returned to their own conversations. "Well, that puts the kibosh on [i]that[/i] plan."

"Don't worry, Cheese. I'm sure there's like a bazillion drains around here. All we need is to get to the other side somehow, find a big enough drain, and acquire paper, a pencil, and a bottle."

"I doubt that they'll give us any of those things, Pinks." Before the pink pony could respond, Esme and Red Herring came in the room without their masks.

"What's this I hear about letting not [i]one[/i] pony seeing you without your masks, but [i]two?[/i]" Esme questioned angrily.

Poison and Steel started talking at once. Red held up a hoof, which silenced them. "Enough. Do you know what you have done? You put the whole team at risk! And another thing—"

"Hold on!" Esme suddenly said. She was staring at the new prisoners, mainly at Pinkie Pie. She came closer to the pink mare, her eyes widening. "Red. Do you know who this is?" She asked, using her hoof to lift up Pinkie's chin. "Look at her face. This is the bearer of Laughter!"

Red's eyebrows shot up. "Pinkie Pie?" The rest of the ponies in the room looked at her closely, mouths opening in realization.

Pinkie chuckled nervously. "Heh…How's it goin'?"

"I'm sure the Princesses would pay a pretty penny to get this one back," Esme said smoothly, staring into Pinkie's eyes.

"But… uh… I'm not sure how that'll work out," Sal said uncertainly.

Esme frowned. "Of course it won't, numbskull," She growled, releasing Pinkie's chin. "Only a fool would try and go up against the Princesses. Do you think I'm an [i]idiot?[/i]"

"N-No, of course not—"

"No. I've thought of a better idea. I've heard rumors of Queen Chrysalis and her changelings residing further up North, deep in the forbidden marshlands. We could sell Pinkie for the Queen's riches. We could make [i]millions.[/i]"

Voices rose in agreement.

Pinkie and Cheese looked at each other in alarm. "And what about this one?" Sal asked, nodding in Cheese's direction.

Red smiled. "He's that Cheese Sandwich kid. He threw a bunch of parties around Equestria. I say we put him to work around here. He's awfully thin, but I could whip him into shape in no time."

The two party ponies held each other tightly. They were going to be [i]separated?! [/i]

"Then it's settled. It'll take time to prepare for the journey to Chrysalis. We rest for a day or two, and then fifteen or so of us will head out." She gestured to Pinkie Pie. "Bring her to my room. She is not to be harmed."

It all happened so fast.

Pinkie gasped as she was pried off of her friend. "Pinkie!" Cheese cried, trying to escape Sal's grasp.

Pinkie yanked and pulled, But Poison and Blade both had a firm grip on her, and started to pull her out of the room. "Cheese!"

"Pinkie! It'll be okay! Just remember, I—"

The door slammed shut behind them before Pinkie could hear the rest.

A single tear ran down her cheek.


	6. Don't Let Me Go

Pinkie Pie felt nothing but despair as she was dragged inside Esme's large bedroom. There was a large bird cage in the corner. _Another cage?!_ Pinkie thought. _Really now?!_ She was promptly forced inside before she could even get a word in. Her melancholy quickly turned into anger as Ivy shut the cage door and applied the lock to it. "You'd better let me out of this cage, or you're in for a world of hurt!" Steel and Poison Ivy only gazed at her in slight amusement. "I mean it!" Pinkie warned. She pulled at the chains that restrained her hooves. "I can break these chains!"

Poison shook her head. "You can't break those chains."

"NAAAARG!" Pinkie couldn't break those chains.

Steel laughed. "Don't get yourself all worked up, cupcake," He said. "You ain't goin' anywhere." Pinkie shot him a fierce glare. "I'd watch myself if I were you, mister! I'm like a puma! I'll come at you from behind!"

Steel smirked. "Oh yeah, sure, I'll make sure that I'm _extra careful_ around _you_ next time," He cooed. "I'm shaking in my boots!" Ivy jeered. Pinkie's face burned bright red as the two ponies shared a laugh. The one thing she hated more than a broken promise was ponies laughing at her. She _hated_ being laughed at. "You're… you're just a couple of _big meanies!_ " She cursed.

The two thieves went silent for a moment. They took one look at each other and then they howled with laughter. "Big meanies? _Oh no!_ " Steel cackled.

" _Such language,_ " Ivy snickered.

Pinkie's eyes watered in anger and sadness. Her bottom lip started to tremble slightly. Ivy stuck out her own lower lip, mocking Pinkie Pie. "Aww, it looks like we've hurt her feelings!" She laughed again. "Look at her, she's like a child."

Steel nodded in agreement. "She practically _is_ a child." He bent his knees a bit to Pinkie's level. "How old are you, little filly?"

"Alright, enough." Esme had entered the room. "Thank you, Ivy and Steel. You may both leave now."

The two ponies gave respectful nods, and left the room without a word. Pinkie turned around to quickly brush away her tears. She couldn't let Esme see her cry. Esme closed the bedroom door and locked it. The leader of the Sinister Six said nothing as she removed the black hair pins from her mane. Pinkie watched silently as Esme removed her black leather jacket and slipped into a long black night shirt with sleeves.

There was something about this mare that was strangely unsettling to Pinkie Pie, but she couldn't put her hoof on it. Her very presence was chilling. Esme sat on her large bed facing the pink pony as she ran a brush through her long blonde mane. She stared at Pinkie for awhile. The party pony could hardly stand the silence any longer. "What's happening to my friend?" She asked. Esme simply kept staring. "Why am I here?" She pressed. Esme didn't respond.

"Okay, lady, you're seriously freaking me out."

Esme put down the brush and stood up. Pinkie gulped. Okay. Bad idea. Esme slowly walked over to Pinkie's cage, her expression unreadable. She reached out to touch the bars. Pinkie shrank back out of instinct. "Shh," Esme whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you, Pinkie Pie."

Pinkie was still for a moment. "Really?"

Esme nodded. "Really. Your safety here is my top priority." Pinkie sat up. "Oh, well _that's_ a relief," She said, using her arm to wipe off the beads of sweat that were previously forming on her forehead. "You know—aside from the whole me being sold to Chrysalis thing."

Esme smiled a little. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?" Pinkie looked down at her rumbling stomach. With all that's been going on, she didn't notice her hunger until now. The pink mare looked up and nodded vigorously. Esme went over to a mini fridge beside her bed (Which was most likely stolen) and took out some leftover spaghetti. Even though it didn't look appetizing, Pinkie drooled slightly at the sight of food. Esme placed the spaghetti into a small dish, and then she grabbed a bottle of water. A thought crossed Pinkie's mind. "Wait a minute! What about Cheese? Is he eating too?"

"Not at the minute, no."

Pinkie crossed her arms. "Then I'm not eating until I know he's eating," She said stubbornly. "He hasn't had anything since before the party, and I would know because he was stuck inside the bathroom for 20 minutes because of that hot sauce!" She realized what just blurted out. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Sorry, Cheese."

Esme smiled and went over to a call box next to the door. She pressed one of the buttons. "Red? Will you please make sure that Mr. Sandwich gets a proper meal before he goes to bed?"

" _ **You got it."**_

"Thank You."

She turned to Pinkie. "There, now. Are we satisfied?" Pinkie was not satisfied. She wanted to communicate with Cheese somehow, hear his voice again. She also wanted to make sure that he wasn't being hurt in any way. It hurt just to even think of the possibility that she might not see his smiling face again. At least she knew that he wouldn't be hungry; she didn't think that Esme would go as far as to lie to her and not give Cheese anything to eat at all. As much as she hated the idea of it, he _was_ supposed to be working after all. "… Yeah… I guess."

With that, Esme went over to the side of the cage and placed the items into the open small compartment and slid it inside so that Pinkie could retrieve it. The baker peered closely at the dish. "…Is this a dog dish?" She asked her eyes wide. Esme nodded. "I feel offended!" Her stomach growled once more. "Yet my hunger betrays me." She drove her face into the pile of spaghetti, noodles flying in every direction as she devoured the left over's. It was cold and stringy, but she felt much better. She lifted her head out of the dish, her face covered with sauce. "Sho whu happun to the dug?" She asked with her mouth full. Esme's mouth curved into an odd shape. "We had to… let him go." She said ominously.

"Oh. That's too bad," Pinkie said, not fully understanding what Esme really meant. She finished the last of the spaghetti quickly, using her tongue to lick the sauce off of her face. "So… why are you being so nice to me?" She asked suspiciously.

Esme chuckled. "What? I can't be nice once in a while?"

"Well, you _did_ rob all of those ponies at the party. And hurt them. And you tried to rob the kids… and you kinda kidnapped us."

Esme got up and slowly started to pace the room. "Yes. I did rob and injure those Prench folk. But items can be replaced, and those wounds can heal. And, as I recall, it was Sal's team that planned on robbing those children. I had no knowledge of this until after the fact. Also, kidnapping you two was a last resort. They had no choice in the matter since you saw two of our members without their masks, and that is a very important rule around here. It puts everypony here in danger. You understand that, don't you?"

Pinkie frowned. "I guess… but it still doesn't make it less wrong."

"Not everything is black and white, Pinkie. You and your friends have been battling countless villains for so long, it hasn't even occurred to you. Not everypony is one-sided."

"Yes it has!" Pinkie protested. "We reformed Discord and he never went back! Well, except that one time, but we're all like, totally besties now." Esme sat on her bed, giving the younger mare a small smile. "You remind me of my sister. She was always peppy and energetic, just like you. We were close once. I haven't seen her since 1997. I was… quite the rebel when I was your age. Left early. Maybe if you're good tonight, I'll let you have a pillow and some blankets, hmm?" She leaned across the bed to turn off the light within her oil lamp. "My friends will find us," Pinkie said in a quiet yet determined voice. "They've fought worse before."

"I'm sure they have," Esme said with a slight grin. "But I'd doubt they'll go up against Chrysalis without risking your life as well." With that said, she blew out the lantern and the whole room went dark. Pinkie hung her head sadly. She wished that Cheese was with her. The warmth that surrounded him, the smiles he shared. Without him it was like…like one half of her was gone. She felt worn and battered from the journey, physically and emotionally. Her back ached and her legs felt like jelly. And not the good kind of jelly. Her eye was hurting a lot more from being punched in the face while being taken. But to Pinkie Pie, the worst pain was being held in her heart.

She slowly curled up into a ball and shut her eyes tightly. _Maybe things will be better in the morning,_ Pinkie thought. _I'll be able to think more clearly once I get some sleep._

Pinkie didn't sleep one wink that night.

Twilight stared up at the full moon with half-lidded eyes. She was certain it was three in the morning by now. She averted her gaze from the window to her friends. It was nothing short of a miracle that they happened to be the only ponies to be riding on the train at this time of night. The majority of them were glad to be taking the hoods off of their heads. All was quiet, but no one was asleep. Rarity was skimming through the newspaper headlines. Fluttershy was turned on one side, but it was clear that she was wide awake. Spike was chewing through a gemstone with less enthusiasm than usual. Rainbow Dash was staring out the window looking both sad and frustrated, but she remained silent. Applejack sat next to Twilight looking completely and utterly exhausted, but her eyes were wide and alert. The bookworm glanced at her friend with worry. She had been rather soft spoken and off balanced since she arrived at Canterlot the day before.

"You look tired," Twilight whispered.

Applejack gave her a sideways glance and smiled weakly. "Yeah, well… I've had my hooves full lately."

"Were you hard at work? Are the Appeloosans and the Buffalo having trouble again?"

Applejack shook her head. "No. Everypony—and Buffalo—are gettin' along better than a corn field and a scarecrow. I kinda…" She chuckled lightly. "Delivered a foal recently." Twilight sat up with wide eyes. " _You_ delivered the foal? Applejack, that's amazing!" The farm pony ducked her head modestly. "Aw, shoot, it was nothin'. Wasn't any different than delivering a calf."

"Is it a filly or colt? Is it healthy? How far apart were the mother's contractions? Did the birthing happen as soon as her water broke? " Applejack held up a hoof. "Whoa, hold on now, Sugar cube," She said with a light laugh. "One thing at a time… I don't know if I can answer all that technological stuff, but bottom line—yes. She's healthy. Beautiful little thing. Her name's Mahogany."

Twilight sighed happily as she leaned her head back against the seat. "That sounds wonderful," she said softly.

"It's nice to know that good things can come out even during the roughest times," Applejack said gently.

Twilight nodded slowly. "That's true…. That's true." She glanced at the mare beside her. Applejack's eyelids were getting heavier and heavier, no matter how many times she tried to force them open. "You need to get some sleep, A.J.," Twilight said.

"Mmm-mmm. I ain't tired," Applejack replied, failing to stifle a yawn. Twilight suppressed a smirk and nudged her tired friend. "Yes you are. Don't be stubborn. You need to rest." She looked up to glance around at her friends. Spike and Fluttershy had fallen asleep. Rainbow had wrapped herself in her cape, looking much calmer than before. Rarity had put away the newspaper and was curled up ever so daintily on the two train seats she had to herself. "We all do." She looked back at Applejack. "Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich need all the strength we've got." Applejack nodded, knowing in her heart that Twilight was right. She leaned her head against Twilight's shoulder. "I'm just worried about her, Twilight," She mumbled as she fell asleep. Twilight rested her head on top of Applejack's. She closed her eyes. "Me too…"

"It's all my fault!" Cup Cake moaned mournfully. She was curled up on the couch with Granny Smith and her husband on either side of her. The baker rocked back and forth with tears rolling down her face. Carrot Cake wrapped his arms around his wife. "No, sugar dumpling. It was my fault. I should have never let her go."

"I gave the oka-a-ay!" Cup sobbed. Granny Smith rubbed her back. "Now, now, Mrs. Cake. Y'all couldn't have known that this would happen. It could've happened to _anypony._ I'm sure she'll be alright. The girls'll find her, you'll see."

Cup sniffed. "I love her like a daughter… but she's so small and naïve and sensitive… Who knows what's being done to her?!"

"Now you listen to me," Granny said. "I've known that mare for a long time now. She may be a few berries short in the bushel, but she's strong. Capable. Resilient. A full -fledged Apple. And I reckon that that Cheesy fella can hold his own too. Trust me." Cup Cake looked deep into the elderly mare's eyes. They were filled with determination and hope. Cup nodded slowly. "Thank you, Granny." She sniffled.

"This is _terrible,_ " Sweetie Belle lamented, pacing back and forth inside the Cutie mark Crusader Tree house. "I know," Scootaloo sighed. "I miss Pinkie Pie. She's so much fun!"

"And Cheese Sandwich was really nice," Apple Bloom added.

"Sweetie, you're making a groove in the floor." Scootaloo warned.

Sweetie barely heard her. "We've got to do something," she murmured. Apple Bloom frowned. "But what can _we_ do? The Royal Guard's lookin' for 'em, The Police are lookin' for 'em, and our sisters are lookin' for 'em—"

" _Shh!_ Not so loud! " Sweetie hissed. "Nopony else is supposed to know that, remember?"

"Sorry. But how can we help when we're supposed to stay inside Ponyville?" Scootaloo jumped over to Sweetie Belle and stopped her with her hooves. "Seriously! Enough with the pacing! You're making me even _more_ nervous!"

The young unicorn sighed. "I'm sorry. My mind's on the fritz today."

Scootaloo nodded and sat down on a box. "It's okay. But you're right though. We should _do_ something about this! I love Pinkie Pie! We can't just sit here and do nothing!"

Sweetie Belle's expression was sad and empathetic. "I know. Nothing would make me happier than to take action. But the guards have ordered everypony to stay within the town borders for safety precautions. I love Pinkie too. Everypony in town does, especially all the other kids, but unless we come up with some genius plan that's gonna help her and Cheese Sandwich, we're gonna be stuck here for awhile."

Apple Bloom rested her arms outside of the window. Ponyville was much much quieter since Pinkie went missing. Ponies wandered about the town looking sad and depressed. They would often give comfort hugs to one another, reassuring words on their lips. Even the sky seemed a little bit darker. The filly sighed. _Pinkie sure wouldn't want this… she loves Ponyville. She'd hate to see it in this state…_

"That's it!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, startling the other two fillies.

"What's it?" Scootaloo asked.

"Ponyville!" The small yellow filly replied with a grin.

"What about it?" Sweetie Belle inquired.

"Things have been down and out around here since Pinkie's been gone. You know she wouldn't want that for us! Here's what I'm thinkin'. The media's been covering this case from the beginning. _Every. Single. Detail_."

"Go on," Scootaloo said, starting to gain interest.

"So what if we spruce up the town with its Pinkie Pie flair and get the press to cover it? It's just like you said—everypony here loves Pinkie! We shouldn't be mourning for her… we should be celebrating her! That way we can get that message to her and Cheese that we're rootin' for 'em! Show her how much we love her!"

Sweetie Belle perked up. "That's a _perfect_ idea! We can throw parties in their honor; bake cupcakes and everything!"

Scootaloo's wings buzzed with excitement. "Cheese has thrown parties all over Equestria—we can get others to throw parties in _his_ honor too!"

"We—We could start a campaign!" Apple Bloom squealed.

Scootaloo suddenly frowned. "Only one problem guys. We don't have the money for it." The fillies were quiet for a moment. Sweetie Belle lifted her head with a serious expression on her face. "No… but I know somepony who does."

The two other girls gasped. "You're not serious!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"It's madness, Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom cried.

The small unicorn held up a hoof. "It's a sacrifice we have to make, Crusaders! These ponies' spirits depend on it! There is a light that still shines bright in this town! And whatever it takes, we must help ignite it! Now… are you with me?"

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo exchanged glances before looking back at their fellow Crusader. Scootaloo paused before giving a slow nod. "Yeah… we're with you."

Sweetie returned the nod earnestly. "Then let's do this."

Diamond Tiara glared at the CMC, who stood on her front doorsteps, with anger and disgust. "What are you blank flanks doing here?" She demanded. Silver Spoon came out from the mansion behind her. "What gives?" She said in the same exact tone. Apple Bloom spoke, ignoring the insult. "We didn't come lookin' for a fight. We need your help."

Diamond scoffed. " _Help you?_ I'd rather spend the day scrubbing floors then waste a single _second_ of my time helping a hillbilly, a squeak toy, and a dodo. Not that I would. That's the butler's job."

Scootaloo scowled. "And I'd rather punch you in the face!" Her friends shot her a stern look. "…But that's not we're here for." She said, her tone softening a bit.

"We come in peace!" Sweetie Bell insisted. "We could really use some help from you guys."

"Grody to the max!" Silver Spoon grimaced, straightening her glasses. "What do you even _want?_ "

"It's about Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich." Apple Bloom said. The two wealthy fillies' smirks vanished within an instant. Their postures faltered a little. "…Well…yeah? What about them?" Diamond questioned in the softest tone they'd ever heard her speak in.

Apple Bloom drew in a small breath. "Well… with Pinkie gone, Ponyville's become a gloomy place, and you know that's what she wouldn't want at all. We were hoping to get other ponies to celebrate her and all that she's done as well as get other lands and countries that Cheese had visited to celebrate what he's done. And when the press covers it, they're bound to see it. Show 'em that we care and that we're cheering them on."

"It's also to show Equestria how special they are. Also, it'll help them be recognized faster," Sweetie added.

"We can encourage everypony to help look for them and bring them back home!" Scootaloo finished.

"…Like…a campaign?" Silver asked.

Apple Bloom smiled and nodded. "Exactly!"

"But we can't do it without your help," Sweetie said earnestly. Diamond looked at her friend who was scuffing her hoof against the ground. "I _do_ miss her, Di," She admitted, her violet eyes downcast. "And her parties."

The pink filly sighed. "She _did_ do a good job at my Cutecinera. I mean… she passed my standards and all. And I guess Cheese was…an okay party planner." She looked at the three fillies before her, staring at her with hopeful eyes. She raised her head. "Fine. We'll help with your idea. Come on in. But remember—we're still rivals. I'm only doing this for Pinkie." The CMC broke out into fierce grins and raced into the mansion with profound excitement.

"Rise and shine!" Cheese Sandwich's eyes snapped open. "Ahh!" He yelped, sitting straight up in his cot. The voice that woke him up laughed. He turned his head to see Sal chuckling at him on the other side of the bars. He had been put in a tiny room with nothing but a cot and a scratchy blanket with jail-like bars keeping him from escaping. Cheese hadn't gotten much sleep at all. After being separated from Pinkie, they had given a little bit to eat and then put him in this room. Or jail cell. It wasn't that much different. He missed Pinkie more than anyone could ever know. It was like someone had ripped half of him apart. He was half a sandwich.

"Whoa," Sal said looking at Cheese's bloodshot eyes. "I'm guessing you didn't quite get a visit from Luna last night, huh, son? Heh heh." A pony next to him took out some keys and unlocked the bar doors. "Come on, sticks, you got work to do."

Cheese was brought down a flight of stairs; the bottom of the facility. He could feel immense heat as soon as he got within 11 feet of it. At the bottom, there was a _huge_ furnace. Dirt covered ponies in dirty clothing were shoveling coal into it. The fire roared dangerously. "This is how we get our heat," Sal shouted over the noise. He pointed farther back, where Cheese saw more ponies pushing carts filled with coal. Behind them was a huge dark cave where he could hear faint tinkering. "That back there's the mines. That's where the real danger is. But today, your job is to shovel the coal into the furnace. Hey, Dusty! Get over here!" A grey pony wearing a coal-miner's outfit looked up from supervising two others and trotted over to them. He had a helmet on his head and he was covered with ash and soot. "This is Dusty Tail, he's here to supervise you." Dusty looked at Cheese and laughed. "Bad perm day, son? Or did you forget, the 70s are over and done with?"

Cheese stared at him blankly. He'd heard all the jokes.

Sal chuckled. "Welp, this boy needs to do some work around here, and I was hopin' that you could teach him how it's done."

Dusty smirked and looked Cheese up and down. "Alright, but it'd take a miracle of some sort to get _him_ into shape. Heh! He's all skin and bones! But I'll see what I can do."

Sal nodded. "Good. I'll leave you to it." He started walking away. "Oh, and by the way," He called back. "If he tries any funny business, don't hesitate in burning him."

"Oh, don't worry, I won't," Dusty laughed as Sal left. Cheese swallowed a lump in his throat. Dusty slapped a hoof on his shoulder which made him jump. "Relax, boy, I don't bite. Much." He laughed at his own joke. "Now, I'll be helping you through the easy stuff, but after that, you're on your own, got it?"

The younger pony nodded jerkily.

"But first… we gotta get rid of that shirt," Dusty said, glaring disapprovingly at Cheese's attire. "Frankly, it's hurting my eyes."

Pinkie lay on her stomach, still inside the birdcage, bored out of her mind. Esme had left, but she had turned on the T.V. for Pinkie to watch while she was gone. To Pinkie's dismay, it was a channel that only showed boring antique shops. The pink pony sighed dramatically and rolled over on her back. "I am soooo boooored!" She moaned. "Naaaaaahh!" Suddenly, the PNN logo flashed across the screen with Breaking News. "Finally!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Maybe it's an epic cart chase!" Another image appeared. It was two ponies, one pink, one orange. "Heh, that looks like us," Pinkie chuckled lightly. Then her eyes widened. "Wait, what?!" She fell onto her side and sat straight up. Yep, It was them alright, posing in front of the open window of Madame Honey's mansion. Pinkie gazed at Cheese's grinning face. Her heart lurched, thinking of how much she missed him.

" _ **The search continues for Pinkamena Diane Pie and Cheese Albert Sandwich who were last seen in Paris Prance…"**_

"It's Pinkie Pie!" She huffed. "Wait…they're looking for us?" She grinned and pumped her hoof in the air. "Alright!"

" _ **So far, the police have found a small clue just outside the border of Prance; a small strand of brown hair, most likely Cheese's. Nothing else has been reported."**_

"We must be really far away from Prance," Pinkie frowned. "…But… they'll find us. I know they will."

" _ **In lighter news, there's been an organization going on in Ponyville, Pinkie Pie's hometown. Ponies there seem to have thrown a giant party in her honor… and it all started with five little fillies, and Wendy Waters has the story, Wendy?"**_

Pinkie's eyes practically popped out of her head. Ponyville was _covered_ in pink. Every door on every house had a picture of her cutie mark on it: Three balloons. All of the lampposts had big pink ribbons tied to them. Shimmering pink banners were being hung by pegasi. On them were tiny blue jewels that spelled out _We love you, Pinkie Pie!_ Ponies were wearing pink t-shirts that said _Free Pinkie and Cheese!_ A mare in a reporter's outfit was standing in front of the scene with a smile on her face. " _ **Yes, Dave, the Citizens of Ponyville have all gathered here to celebrate the life of their beloved party planner Pinkie, and guest party planner Cheese. The town is all decked out in pink, and cupcakes and other sweets are being passed out as well as cheese sandwiches. Some have even combined the two and made it a 'Pinkwich' no pun intended. I'm here with the fillies that started it all."**_ The camera panned out to reveal that Wendy was standing next to Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon. Wendy lowered her microphone to Apple Bloom's level. " _ **Tell me, how did you come up with this idea?"**_

" _ **Oh, well, it was a group effort,"**_ Apple Bloom smiled. " _ **We just love and miss Pinkie Pie so much. We wanted to let her know that as much as possible."**_

" _ **She's the greatest!"**_ Sweetie squeaked happily. " _ **Next to Rarity, of course. There's nopony like her!"**_

" _ **I paid for everything!"**_ Diamond cut in, grabbing the microphone with a huge smile on her face. " _ **And me!"**_ Silver added. Scootaloo rolled her eyes and snatched the microphone from the both of them. " _ **We're all behind you, Pinke! The two of you will be back in no time! You got this!"**_

For the first time in her life, Pinkie was speechless. Happy tears rolled down her cheeks.

Scootaloo had returned the microphone to the reporter who chuckled. " _ **Well there you have it—oh, thank you!"**_ A random pony had pinned a button on her shirt that said _Smile!_ With stars and hearts surrounding the word. " _ **A vigil will be held for Pinkie tonight. Various parts of Equesrtia have also been celebrating Cheese Sandwich, locations such as Dodge Junction, Phillydelphia, Las Pegasus, Baltimare, Manehattan, and so much more. He will also have a vigil in Manehattan, where he grew up."**_ A blast of confetti shot out from behind the reporter, followed by a " _ **Be careful with that thing!"**_ Wendy seemed oblivious. " _ **Live from Ponyville, I'm Wendy Waters, PNN News."**_

Pinkie sniffled and wiped away her tears. "T-That's the n-nicest most *Hiccup* wonderfullest thing *Sob* ever! Ch-Cheesy would be so happy…*Sniff* _I'm so happy!_ "

Dave reappeared on the screen. " _ **Thanks, Wendy. In Canterlot, Princess Celestia is cautioning subjects to be careful if they should encounter the sinister six. If you should see any of them or Pinkie and Cheese Sandwich, the best action is to contact an officer or a guard. Do not put yourself in danger. Also, Princess Twilight and the other bearers of Harmony are still in deep grief over the disappearance of Pinkie Pie. They are said to be undergoing intensive care and therapy."**_

Pinkie put a hoof to her mouth. "Oh no! My poor-!" Her ears started to tingle. "Wait a minute…"

Ear tingle.

Back itch.

Eyebrow twitch.

"That's a lie!" Pinkie exclaimed. "My friends are looking for us—I can feel it!" She started to shiver and jerk. "Yep! They're a lookin'!"

Lilly suddenly came in with blankets on her back and stared at Pinkie with a shocked expression. The baker smiled and tried to stop herself from twitching, but her senses weren't having it. "Ooooh… Good Morning! Or afternoon!" She shivered.

"Er… Are you alright? Are you having an… _attack_ of some kind?" Lilly asked.

"Nope! This always happens!" Pinkie finally stopped. "Whoo! That's better." Lilly blinked. "Right…" She walked over to Pinkie's cage and placed the folded blankets into the small compartment like Esme had done so that Pinkie could get them. "Esme said you were good last night, so I offered to bring you the blankets," She explained. Pinkie beamed as she wrapped the comfy blanket around her body. "Thanks! That's really nice of you! What's your name?"

"…Lilly."

"Thanks a bunch, Lilly! Normally, I'd be hugging you right now, but… y'know…cage…" Lilly chuckled lightly. "Huh… you're welcome." She looked around and lowered her voice to a whisper. "But that's not entirely why I came here…" Pinkie looked confused.

"Huh?"

"…Do you trust me?"

Cheese grunted as he shoveled what had to be his thirty-hundredth pile of coal into the furnace. The coal miner's outfit he was forced to wear didn't make this job any easier. Dusty was supervising the whole process. He walked behind the workers scrutinizing their every move. "Pick it up, Sandwich!" He yelled. Cheese puffed as he drove his heavy shovel into the huge pile of coal. " _With the sting of the whip on my shoulder…"_

A few ponies near him gave him strange looks. " _With the salt of my sweat on my brow… Elohim, God on high can you hear your ponies cry? Help us now… This dark hour…"_

He whipped out his accordion and started to play. " _Deliver us! Hear our call, deliver us! Lord of all remember us, here with this burning coal… Deliver us! There's a party you promised us! Deliver us, to the—"_ Dusty knocked his accordion down to the ground. "Enough _singing!_ " He yelled. "Now get back to work, or you'll become a grilled cheese sandwich, you got me?" Cheese nodded vigorously. "Yes sir!" He squeaked.

"Good!"

Satisfied after watching Cheese shovel more coal, he moved on to the other workers. In his head, he wondered where in Equestria he got that accordion. Cheese glanced up to see if Dusty was out of hearing range. Returning his gaze back to his work, he began singing under his breath. " _Look down… Look down… Don't look them in the eye…"_ The ponies around him groaned.

After ten hours of shoveling coal, an exhausted Cheese Sandwich was finally brought back to his tiny room. Every muscle ached. His hooves had multiple blisters. His arms carried burn marks from getting in trouble. He collapsed onto his cot which now felt like an oasis.

"…Cheese?"

The party pony perked up at the sound of his name. He lifted his head to see Lilly staring at him from behind the bars. She had tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked. "Are you okay?" Lilly made a sound that was a cross between a laugh and a sob. She clutched the bars like a life line. Curious, Cheese slid off the cot and stood to meet the mare's gaze. "…Look at you… you're all grown up now," Lilly chuckled sadly. Cheese raised an eyebrow. "Uh…I'm… sorry?"

"Cheese… Don't you remember me? Look closer."

Cheese squinted his eyes as he looked deeper into her eyes. Wait…. No…. It _couldn't_ be… His eyes widened and he stumbled back a little. He looked at Lilly for the first time, like _really_ looked at her… she had changed… but it was unmistakable. Tears watered his eyes. "….Aunt Blueberry?"

Pinkie Pie felt nothing but despair as she was dragged inside Esme's large bedroom. There was a large bird cage in the corner. _Another cage?!_ Pinkie thought. _Really now?!_ She was promptly forced inside before she could even get a word in. Her melancholy quickly turned into anger as Ivy shut the cage door and applied the lock to it. "You'd better let me out of this cage, or you're in for a world of hurt!" Steel and Poison Ivy only gazed at her in slight amusement. "I mean it!" Pinkie warned. She pulled at the chains that restrained her hooves. "I can break these chains!"

Poison shook her head. "You can't break those chains."

"NAAAARG!" Pinkie couldn't break those chains.

Steel laughed. "Don't get yourself all worked up, cupcake," He said. "You ain't goin' anywhere." Pinkie shot him a fierce glare. "I'd watch myself if I were you, mister! I'm like a puma! I'll come at you from behind!"

Steel smirked. "Oh yeah, sure, I'll make sure that I'm _extra careful_ around _you_ next time," He cooed. "I'm shaking in my boots!" Ivy jeered. Pinkie's face burned bright red as the two ponies shared a laugh. The one thing she hated more than a broken promise was ponies laughing at her. She _hated_ being laughed at. "You're… you're just a couple of _big meanies!_ " She cursed.

The two thieves went silent for a moment. They took one look at each other and then they howled with laughter. "Big meanies? _Oh no!_ " Steel cackled.

" _Such language,_ " Ivy snickered.

Pinkie's eyes watered in anger and sadness. Her bottom lip started to tremble slightly. Ivy stuck out her own lower lip, mocking Pinkie Pie. "Aww, it looks like we've hurt her feelings!" She laughed again. "Look at her, she's like a child."

Steel nodded in agreement. "She practically _is_ a child." He bent his knees a bit to Pinkie's level. "How old are you, little filly?"

"Alright, enough." Esme had entered the room. "Thank you, Ivy and Steel. You may both leave now."

The two ponies gave respectful nods, and left the room without a word. Pinkie turned around to quickly brush away her tears. She couldn't let Esme see her cry. Esme closed the bedroom door and locked it. The leader of the Sinister Six said nothing as she removed the black hair pins from her mane. Pinkie watched silently as Esme removed her black leather jacket and slipped into a long black night shirt with sleeves.

There was something about this mare that was strangely unsettling to Pinkie Pie, but she couldn't put her hoof on it. Her very presence was chilling. Esme sat on her large bed facing the pink pony as she ran a brush through her long blonde mane. She stared at Pinkie for awhile. The party pony could hardly stand the silence any longer. "What's happening to my friend?" She asked. Esme simply kept staring. "Why am I here?" She pressed. Esme didn't respond.

"Okay, lady, you're seriously freaking me out."

Esme put down the brush and stood up. Pinkie gulped. Okay. Bad idea. Esme slowly walked over to Pinkie's cage, her expression unreadable. She reached out to touch the bars. Pinkie shrank back out of instinct. "Shh," Esme whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you, Pinkie Pie."

Pinkie was still for a moment. "Really?"

Esme nodded. "Really. Your safety here is my top priority." Pinkie sat up. "Oh, well _that's_ a relief," She said, using her arm to wipe off the beads of sweat that were previously forming on her forehead. "You know—aside from the whole me being sold to Chrysalis thing."

Esme smiled a little. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?" Pinkie looked down at her rumbling stomach. With all that's been going on, she didn't notice her hunger until now. The pink mare looked up and nodded vigorously. Esme went over to a mini fridge beside her bed (Which was most likely stolen) and took out some leftover spaghetti. Even though it didn't look appetizing, Pinkie drooled slightly at the sight of food. Esme placed the spaghetti into a small dish, and then she grabbed a bottle of water. A thought crossed Pinkie's mind. "Wait a minute! What about Cheese? Is he eating too?"

"Not at the minute, no."

Pinkie crossed her arms. "Then I'm not eating until I know he's eating," She said stubbornly. "He hasn't had anything since before the party, and I would know because he was stuck inside the bathroom for 20 minutes because of that hot sauce!" She realized what just blurted out. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Sorry, Cheese."

Esme smiled and went over to a call box next to the door. She pressed one of the buttons. "Red? Will you please make sure that Mr. Sandwich gets a proper meal before he goes to bed?"

" _ **You got it."**_

"Thank You."

She turned to Pinkie. "There, now. Are we satisfied?" Pinkie was not satisfied. She wanted to communicate with Cheese somehow, hear his voice again. She also wanted to make sure that he wasn't being hurt in any way. It hurt just to even think of the possibility that she might not see his smiling face again. At least she knew that he wouldn't be hungry; she didn't think that Esme would go as far as to lie to her and not give Cheese anything to eat at all. As much as she hated the idea of it, he _was_ supposed to be working after all. "… Yeah… I guess."

With that, Esme went over to the side of the cage and placed the items into the open small compartment and slid it inside so that Pinkie could retrieve it. The baker peered closely at the dish. "…Is this a dog dish?" She asked her eyes wide. Esme nodded. "I feel offended!" Her stomach growled once more. "Yet my hunger betrays me." She drove her face into the pile of spaghetti, noodles flying in every direction as she devoured the left over's. It was cold and stringy, but she felt much better. She lifted her head out of the dish, her face covered with sauce. "Sho whu happun to the dug?" She asked with her mouth full. Esme's mouth curved into an odd shape. "We had to… let him go." She said ominously.

"Oh. That's too bad," Pinkie said, not fully understanding what Esme really meant. She finished the last of the spaghetti quickly, using her tongue to lick the sauce off of her face. "So… why are you being so nice to me?" She asked suspiciously.

Esme chuckled. "What? I can't be nice once in a while?"

"Well, you _did_ rob all of those ponies at the party. And hurt them. And you tried to rob the kids… and you kinda kidnapped us."

Esme got up and slowly started to pace the room. "Yes. I did rob and injure those Prench folk. But items can be replaced, and those wounds can heal. And, as I recall, it was Sal's team that planned on robbing those children. I had no knowledge of this until after the fact. Also, kidnapping you two was a last resort. They had no choice in the matter since you saw two of our members without their masks, and that is a very important rule around here. It puts everypony here in danger. You understand that, don't you?"

Pinkie frowned. "I guess… but it still doesn't make it less wrong."

"Not everything is black and white, Pinkie. You and your friends have been battling countless villains for so long, it hasn't even occurred to you. Not everypony is one-sided."

"Yes it has!" Pinkie protested. "We reformed Discord and he never went back! Well, except that one time, but we're all like, totally besties now." Esme sat on her bed, giving the younger mare a small smile. "You remind me of my sister. She was always peppy and energetic, just like you. We were close once. I haven't seen her since 1997. I was… quite the rebel when I was your age. Left early. Maybe if you're good tonight, I'll let you have a pillow and some blankets, hmm?" She leaned across the bed to turn off the light within her oil lamp. "My friends will find us," Pinkie said in a quiet yet determined voice. "They've fought worse before."

"I'm sure they have," Esme said with a slight grin. "But I'd doubt they'll go up against Chrysalis without risking your life as well." With that said, she blew out the lantern and the whole room went dark. Pinkie hung her head sadly. She wished that Cheese was with her. The warmth that surrounded him, the smiles he shared. Without him it was like…like one half of her was gone. She felt worn and battered from the journey, physically and emotionally. Her back ached and her legs felt like jelly. And not the good kind of jelly. Her eye was hurting a lot more from being punched in the face while being taken. But to Pinkie Pie, the worst pain was being held in her heart.

She slowly curled up into a ball and shut her eyes tightly. _Maybe things will be better in the morning,_ Pinkie thought. _I'll be able to think more clearly once I get some sleep._

Pinkie didn't sleep one wink that night.

Twilight stared up at the full moon with half-lidded eyes. She was certain it was three in the morning by now. She averted her gaze from the window to her friends. It was nothing short of a miracle that they happened to be the only ponies to be riding on the train at this time of night. The majority of them were glad to be taking the hoods off of their heads. All was quiet, but no one was asleep. Rarity was skimming through the newspaper headlines. Fluttershy was turned on one side, but it was clear that she was wide awake. Spike was chewing through a gemstone with less enthusiasm than usual. Rainbow Dash was staring out the window looking both sad and frustrated, but she remained silent. Applejack sat next to Twilight looking completely and utterly exhausted, but her eyes were wide and alert. The bookworm glanced at her friend with worry. She had been rather soft spoken and off balanced since she arrived at Canterlot the day before.

"You look tired," Twilight whispered.

Applejack gave her a sideways glance and smiled weakly. "Yeah, well… I've had my hooves full lately."

"Were you hard at work? Are the Appeloosans and the Buffalo having trouble again?"

Applejack shook her head. "No. Everypony—and Buffalo—are gettin' along better than a corn field and a scarecrow. I kinda…" She chuckled lightly. "Delivered a foal recently." Twilight sat up with wide eyes. " _You_ delivered the foal? Applejack, that's amazing!" The farm pony ducked her head modestly. "Aw, shoot, it was nothin'. Wasn't any different than delivering a calf."

"Is it a filly or colt? Is it healthy? How far apart were the mother's contractions? Did the birthing happen as soon as her water broke? " Applejack held up a hoof. "Whoa, hold on now, Sugar cube," She said with a light laugh. "One thing at a time… I don't know if I can answer all that technological stuff, but bottom line—yes. She's healthy. Beautiful little thing. Her name's Mahogany."

Twilight sighed happily as she leaned her head back against the seat. "That sounds wonderful," she said softly.

"It's nice to know that good things can come out even during the roughest times," Applejack said gently.

Twilight nodded slowly. "That's true…. That's true." She glanced at the mare beside her. Applejack's eyelids were getting heavier and heavier, no matter how many times she tried to force them open. "You need to get some sleep, A.J.," Twilight said.

"Mmm-mmm. I ain't tired," Applejack replied, failing to stifle a yawn. Twilight suppressed a smirk and nudged her tired friend. "Yes you are. Don't be stubborn. You need to rest." She looked up to glance around at her friends. Spike and Fluttershy had fallen asleep. Rainbow had wrapped herself in her cape, looking much calmer than before. Rarity had put away the newspaper and was curled up ever so daintily on the two train seats she had to herself. "We all do." She looked back at Applejack. "Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich need all the strength we've got." Applejack nodded, knowing in her heart that Twilight was right. She leaned her head against Twilight's shoulder. "I'm just worried about her, Twilight," She mumbled as she fell asleep. Twilight rested her head on top of Applejack's. She closed her eyes. "Me too…"

"It's all my fault!" Cup Cake moaned mournfully. She was curled up on the couch with Granny Smith and her husband on either side of her. The baker rocked back and forth with tears rolling down her face. Carrot Cake wrapped his arms around his wife. "No, sugar dumpling. It was my fault. I should have never let her go."

"I gave the oka-a-ay!" Cup sobbed. Granny Smith rubbed her back. "Now, now, Mrs. Cake. Y'all couldn't have known that this would happen. It could've happened to _anypony._ I'm sure she'll be alright. The girls'll find her, you'll see."

Cup sniffed. "I love her like a daughter… but she's so small and naïve and sensitive… Who knows what's being done to her?!"

"Now you listen to me," Granny said. "I've known that mare for a long time now. She may be a few berries short in the bushel, but she's strong. Capable. Resilient. A full -fledged Apple. And I reckon that that Cheesy fella can hold his own too. Trust me." Cup Cake looked deep into the elderly mare's eyes. They were filled with determination and hope. Cup nodded slowly. "Thank you, Granny." She sniffled.

"This is _terrible,_ " Sweetie Belle lamented, pacing back and forth inside the Cutie mark Crusader Tree house. "I know," Scootaloo sighed. "I miss Pinkie Pie. She's so much fun!"

"And Cheese Sandwich was really nice," Apple Bloom added.

"Sweetie, you're making a groove in the floor." Scootaloo warned.

Sweetie barely heard her. "We've got to do something," she murmured. Apple Bloom frowned. "But what can _we_ do? The Royal Guard's lookin' for 'em, The Police are lookin' for 'em, and our sisters are lookin' for 'em—"

" _Shh!_ Not so loud! " Sweetie hissed. "Nopony else is supposed to know that, remember?"

"Sorry. But how can we help when we're supposed to stay inside Ponyville?" Scootaloo jumped over to Sweetie Belle and stopped her with her hooves. "Seriously! Enough with the pacing! You're making me even _more_ nervous!"

The young unicorn sighed. "I'm sorry. My mind's on the fritz today."

Scootaloo nodded and sat down on a box. "It's okay. But you're right though. We should _do_ something about this! I love Pinkie Pie! We can't just sit here and do nothing!"

Sweetie Belle's expression was sad and empathetic. "I know. Nothing would make me happier than to take action. But the guards have ordered everypony to stay within the town borders for safety precautions. I love Pinkie too. Everypony in town does, especially all the other kids, but unless we come up with some genius plan that's gonna help her and Cheese Sandwich, we're gonna be stuck here for awhile."

Apple Bloom rested her arms outside of the window. Ponyville was much much quieter since Pinkie went missing. Ponies wandered about the town looking sad and depressed. They would often give comfort hugs to one another, reassuring words on their lips. Even the sky seemed a little bit darker. The filly sighed. _Pinkie sure wouldn't want this… she loves Ponyville. She'd hate to see it in this state…_

"That's it!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, startling the other two fillies.

"What's it?" Scootaloo asked.

"Ponyville!" The small yellow filly replied with a grin.

"What about it?" Sweetie Belle inquired.

"Things have been down and out around here since Pinkie's been gone. You know she wouldn't want that for us! Here's what I'm thinkin'. The media's been covering this case from the beginning. _Every. Single. Detail_."

"Go on," Scootaloo said, starting to gain interest.

"So what if we spruce up the town with its Pinkie Pie flair and get the press to cover it? It's just like you said—everypony here loves Pinkie! We shouldn't be mourning for her… we should be celebrating her! That way we can get that message to her and Cheese that we're rootin' for 'em! Show her how much we love her!"

Sweetie Belle perked up. "That's a _perfect_ idea! We can throw parties in their honor; bake cupcakes and everything!"

Scootaloo's wings buzzed with excitement. "Cheese has thrown parties all over Equestria—we can get others to throw parties in _his_ honor too!"

"We—We could start a campaign!" Apple Bloom squealed.

Scootaloo suddenly frowned. "Only one problem guys. We don't have the money for it." The fillies were quiet for a moment. Sweetie Belle lifted her head with a serious expression on her face. "No… but I know somepony who does."

The two other girls gasped. "You're not serious!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"It's madness, Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom cried.

The small unicorn held up a hoof. "It's a sacrifice we have to make, Crusaders! These ponies' spirits depend on it! There is a light that still shines bright in this town! And whatever it takes, we must help ignite it! Now… are you with me?"

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo exchanged glances before looking back at their fellow Crusader. Scootaloo paused before giving a slow nod. "Yeah… we're with you."

Sweetie returned the nod earnestly. "Then let's do this."

Diamond Tiara glared at the CMC, who stood on her front doorsteps, with anger and disgust. "What are you blank flanks doing here?" She demanded. Silver Spoon came out from the mansion behind her. "What gives?" She said in the same exact tone. Apple Bloom spoke, ignoring the insult. "We didn't come lookin' for a fight. We need your help."

Diamond scoffed. " _Help you?_ I'd rather spend the day scrubbing floors then waste a single _second_ of my time helping a hillbilly, a squeak toy, and a dodo. Not that I would. That's the butler's job."

Scootaloo scowled. "And I'd rather punch you in the face!" Her friends shot her a stern look. "…But that's not we're here for." She said, her tone softening a bit.

"We come in peace!" Sweetie Bell insisted. "We could really use some help from you guys."

"Grody to the max!" Silver Spoon grimaced, straightening her glasses. "What do you even _want?_ "

"It's about Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich." Apple Bloom said. The two wealthy fillies' smirks vanished within an instant. Their postures faltered a little. "…Well…yeah? What about them?" Diamond questioned in the softest tone they'd ever heard her speak in.

Apple Bloom drew in a small breath. "Well… with Pinkie gone, Ponyville's become a gloomy place, and you know that's what she wouldn't want at all. We were hoping to get other ponies to celebrate her and all that she's done as well as get other lands and countries that Cheese had visited to celebrate what he's done. And when the press covers it, they're bound to see it. Show 'em that we care and that we're cheering them on."

"It's also to show Equestria how special they are. Also, it'll help them be recognized faster," Sweetie added.

"We can encourage everypony to help look for them and bring them back home!" Scootaloo finished.

"…Like…a campaign?" Silver asked.

Apple Bloom smiled and nodded. "Exactly!"

"But we can't do it without your help," Sweetie said earnestly. Diamond looked at her friend who was scuffing her hoof against the ground. "I _do_ miss her, Di," She admitted, her violet eyes downcast. "And her parties."

The pink filly sighed. "She _did_ do a good job at my Cutecinera. I mean… she passed my standards and all. And I guess Cheese was…an okay party planner." She looked at the three fillies before her, staring at her with hopeful eyes. She raised her head. "Fine. We'll help with your idea. Come on in. But remember—we're still rivals. I'm only doing this for Pinkie." The CMC broke out into fierce grins and raced into the mansion with profound excitement.

"Rise and shine!" Cheese Sandwich's eyes snapped open. "Ahh!" He yelped, sitting straight up in his cot. The voice that woke him up laughed. He turned his head to see Sal chuckling at him on the other side of the bars. He had been put in a tiny room with nothing but a cot and a scratchy blanket with jail-like bars keeping him from escaping. Cheese hadn't gotten much sleep at all. After being separated from Pinkie, they had given a little bit to eat and then put him in this room. Or jail cell. It wasn't that much different. He missed Pinkie more than anyone could ever know. It was like someone had ripped half of him apart. He was half a sandwich.

"Whoa," Sal said looking at Cheese's bloodshot eyes. "I'm guessing you didn't quite get a visit from Luna last night, huh, son? Heh heh." A pony next to him took out some keys and unlocked the bar doors. "Come on, sticks, you got work to do."

Cheese was brought down a flight of stairs; the bottom of the facility. He could feel immense heat as soon as he got within 11 feet of it. At the bottom, there was a _huge_ furnace. Dirt covered ponies in dirty clothing were shoveling coal into it. The fire roared dangerously. "This is how we get our heat," Sal shouted over the noise. He pointed farther back, where Cheese saw more ponies pushing carts filled with coal. Behind them was a huge dark cave where he could hear faint tinkering. "That back there's the mines. That's where the real danger is. But today, your job is to shovel the coal into the furnace. Hey, Dusty! Get over here!" A grey pony wearing a coal-miner's outfit looked up from supervising two others and trotted over to them. He had a helmet on his head and he was covered with ash and soot. "This is Dusty Tail, he's here to supervise you." Dusty looked at Cheese and laughed. "Bad perm day, son? Or did you forget, the 70s are over and done with?"

Cheese stared at him blankly. He'd heard all the jokes.

Sal chuckled. "Welp, this boy needs to do some work around here, and I was hopin' that you could teach him how it's done."

Dusty smirked and looked Cheese up and down. "Alright, but it'd take a miracle of some sort to get _him_ into shape. Heh! He's all skin and bones! But I'll see what I can do."

Sal nodded. "Good. I'll leave you to it." He started walking away. "Oh, and by the way," He called back. "If he tries any funny business, don't hesitate in burning him."

"Oh, don't worry, I won't," Dusty laughed as Sal left. Cheese swallowed a lump in his throat. Dusty slapped a hoof on his shoulder which made him jump. "Relax, boy, I don't bite. Much." He laughed at his own joke. "Now, I'll be helping you through the easy stuff, but after that, you're on your own, got it?"

The younger pony nodded jerkily.

"But first… we gotta get rid of that shirt," Dusty said, glaring disapprovingly at Cheese's attire. "Frankly, it's hurting my eyes."

Pinkie lay on her stomach, still inside the birdcage, bored out of her mind. Esme had left, but she had turned on the T.V. for Pinkie to watch while she was gone. To Pinkie's dismay, it was a channel that only showed boring antique shops. The pink pony sighed dramatically and rolled over on her back. "I am soooo boooored!" She moaned. "Naaaaaahh!" Suddenly, the PNN logo flashed across the screen with Breaking News. "Finally!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Maybe it's an epic cart chase!" Another image appeared. It was two ponies, one pink, one orange. "Heh, that looks like us," Pinkie chuckled lightly. Then her eyes widened. "Wait, what?!" She fell onto her side and sat straight up. Yep, It was them alright, posing in front of the open window of Madame Honey's mansion. Pinkie gazed at Cheese's grinning face. Her heart lurched, thinking of how much she missed him.

" _ **The search continues for Pinkamena Diane Pie and Cheese Albert Sandwich who were last seen in Paris Prance…"**_

"It's Pinkie Pie!" She huffed. "Wait…they're looking for us?" She grinned and pumped her hoof in the air. "Alright!"

" _ **So far, the police have found a small clue just outside the border of Prance; a small strand of brown hair, most likely Cheese's. Nothing else has been reported."**_

"We must be really far away from Prance," Pinkie frowned. "…But… they'll find us. I know they will."

" _ **In lighter news, there's been an organization going on in Ponyville, Pinkie Pie's hometown. Ponies there seem to have thrown a giant party in her honor… and it all started with five little fillies, and Wendy Waters has the story, Wendy?"**_

Pinkie's eyes practically popped out of her head. Ponyville was _covered_ in pink. Every door on every house had a picture of her cutie mark on it: Three balloons. All of the lampposts had big pink ribbons tied to them. Shimmering pink banners were being hung by pegasi. On them were tiny blue jewels that spelled out _We love you, Pinkie Pie!_ Ponies were wearing pink t-shirts that said _Free Pinkie and Cheese!_ A mare in a reporter's outfit was standing in front of the scene with a smile on her face. " _ **Yes, Dave, the Citizens of Ponyville have all gathered here to celebrate the life of their beloved party planner Pinkie, and guest party planner Cheese. The town is all decked out in pink, and cupcakes and other sweets are being passed out as well as cheese sandwiches. Some have even combined the two and made it a 'Pinkwich' no pun intended. I'm here with the fillies that started it all."**_ The camera panned out to reveal that Wendy was standing next to Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon. Wendy lowered her microphone to Apple Bloom's level. " _ **Tell me, how did you come up with this idea?"**_

" _ **Oh, well, it was a group effort,"**_ Apple Bloom smiled. " _ **We just love and miss Pinkie Pie so much. We wanted to let her know that as much as possible."**_

" _ **She's the greatest!"**_ Sweetie squeaked happily. " _ **Next to Rarity, of course. There's nopony like her!"**_

" _ **I paid for everything!"**_ Diamond cut in, grabbing the microphone with a huge smile on her face. " _ **And me!"**_ Silver added. Scootaloo rolled her eyes and snatched the microphone from the both of them. " _ **We're all behind you, Pinke! The two of you will be back in no time! You got this!"**_

For the first time in her life, Pinkie was speechless. Happy tears rolled down her cheeks.

Scootaloo had returned the microphone to the reporter who chuckled. " _ **Well there you have it—oh, thank you!"**_ A random pony had pinned a button on her shirt that said _Smile!_ With stars and hearts surrounding the word. " _ **A vigil will be held for Pinkie tonight. Various parts of Equesrtia have also been celebrating Cheese Sandwich, locations such as Dodge Junction, Phillydelphia, Las Pegasus, Baltimare, Manehattan, and so much more. He will also have a vigil in Manehattan, where he grew up."**_ A blast of confetti shot out from behind the reporter, followed by a " _ **Be careful with that thing!"**_ Wendy seemed oblivious. " _ **Live from Ponyville, I'm Wendy Waters, PNN News."**_

Pinkie sniffled and wiped away her tears. "T-That's the n-nicest most *Hiccup* wonderfullest thing *Sob* ever! Ch-Cheesy would be so happy…*Sniff* _I'm so happy!_ "

Dave reappeared on the screen. " _ **Thanks, Wendy. In Canterlot, Princess Celestia is cautioning subjects to be careful if they should encounter the sinister six. If you should see any of them or Pinkie and Cheese Sandwich, the best action is to contact an officer or a guard. Do not put yourself in danger. Also, Princess Twilight and the other bearers of Harmony are still in deep grief over the disappearance of Pinkie Pie. They are said to be undergoing intensive care and therapy."**_

Pinkie put a hoof to her mouth. "Oh no! My poor-!" Her ears started to tingle. "Wait a minute…"

Ear tingle.

Back itch.

Eyebrow twitch.

"That's a lie!" Pinkie exclaimed. "My friends are looking for us—I can feel it!" She started to shiver and jerk. "Yep! They're a lookin'!"

Lilly suddenly came in with blankets on her back and stared at Pinkie with a shocked expression. The baker smiled and tried to stop herself from twitching, but her senses weren't having it. "Ooooh… Good Morning! Or afternoon!" She shivered.

"Er… Are you alright? Are you having an… _attack_ of some kind?" Lilly asked.

"Nope! This always happens!" Pinkie finally stopped. "Whoo! That's better." Lilly blinked. "Right…" She walked over to Pinkie's cage and placed the folded blankets into the small compartment like Esme had done so that Pinkie could get them. "Esme said you were good last night, so I offered to bring you the blankets," She explained. Pinkie beamed as she wrapped the comfy blanket around her body. "Thanks! That's really nice of you! What's your name?"

"…Lilly."

"Thanks a bunch, Lilly! Normally, I'd be hugging you right now, but… y'know…cage…" Lilly chuckled lightly. "Huh… you're welcome." She looked around and lowered her voice to a whisper. "But that's not entirely why I came here…" Pinkie looked confused.

"Huh?"

"…Do you trust me?"

Cheese grunted as he shoveled what had to be his thirty-hundredth pile of coal into the furnace. The coal miner's outfit he was forced to wear didn't make this job any easier. Dusty was supervising the whole process. He walked behind the workers scrutinizing their every move. "Pick it up, Sandwich!" He yelled. Cheese puffed as he drove his heavy shovel into the huge pile of coal. " _With the sting of the whip on my shoulder…"_

A few ponies near him gave him strange looks. " _With the salt of my sweat on my brow… Elohim, God on high can you hear your ponies cry? Help us now… This dark hour…"_

He whipped out his accordion and started to play. " _Deliver us! Hear our call, deliver us! Lord of all remember us, here with this burning coal… Deliver us! There's a party you promised us! Deliver us, to the—"_ Dusty knocked his accordion down to the ground. "Enough _singing!_ " He yelled. "Now get back to work, or you'll become a grilled cheese sandwich, you got me?" Cheese nodded vigorously. "Yes sir!" He squeaked.

"Good!"

Satisfied after watching Cheese shovel more coal, he moved on to the other workers. In his head, he wondered where in Equestria he got that accordion. Cheese glanced up to see if Dusty was out of hearing range. Returning his gaze back to his work, he began singing under his breath. " _Look down… Look down… Don't look them in the eye…"_ The ponies around him groaned.

After ten hours of shoveling coal, an exhausted Cheese Sandwich was finally brought back to his tiny room. Every muscle ached. His hooves had multiple blisters. His arms carried burn marks from getting in trouble. He collapsed onto his cot which now felt like an oasis.

"…Cheese?"

The party pony perked up at the sound of his name. He lifted his head to see Lilly staring at him from behind the bars. She had tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked. "Are you okay?" Lilly made a sound that was a cross between a laugh and a sob. She clutched the bars like a life line. Curious, Cheese slid off the cot and stood to meet the mare's gaze. "…Look at you… you're all grown up now," Lilly chuckled sadly. Cheese raised an eyebrow. "Uh…I'm… sorry?"

"Cheese… Don't you remember me? Look closer."

Cheese squinted his eyes as he looked deeper into her eyes. Wait…. No…. It _couldn't_ be… His eyes widened and he stumbled back a little. He looked at Lilly for the first time, like _really_ looked at her… she had changed… but it was unmistakable. Tears watered his eyes. "….Aunt Blueberry?"

Pinkie Pie felt nothing but despair as she was dragged inside Esme's large bedroom. There was a large bird cage in the corner. _Another cage?!_ Pinkie thought. _Really now?!_ She was promptly forced inside before she could even get a word in. Her melancholy quickly turned into anger as Ivy shut the cage door and applied the lock to it. "You'd better let me out of this cage, or you're in for a world of hurt!" Steel and Poison Ivy only gazed at her in slight amusement. "I mean it!" Pinkie warned. She pulled at the chains that restrained her hooves. "I can break these chains!"

Poison shook her head. "You can't break those chains."

"NAAAARG!" Pinkie couldn't break those chains.

Steel laughed. "Don't get yourself all worked up, cupcake," He said. "You ain't goin' anywhere." Pinkie shot him a fierce glare. "I'd watch myself if I were you, mister! I'm like a puma! I'll come at you from behind!"

Steel smirked. "Oh yeah, sure, I'll make sure that I'm _extra careful_ around _you_ next time," He cooed. "I'm shaking in my boots!" Ivy jeered. Pinkie's face burned bright red as the two ponies shared a laugh. The one thing she hated more than a broken promise was ponies laughing at her. She _hated_ being laughed at. "You're… you're just a couple of _big meanies!_ " She cursed.

The two thieves went silent for a moment. They took one look at each other and then they howled with laughter. "Big meanies? _Oh no!_ " Steel cackled.

" _Such language,_ " Ivy snickered.

Pinkie's eyes watered in anger and sadness. Her bottom lip started to tremble slightly. Ivy stuck out her own lower lip, mocking Pinkie Pie. "Aww, it looks like we've hurt her feelings!" She laughed again. "Look at her, she's like a child."

Steel nodded in agreement. "She practically _is_ a child." He bent his knees a bit to Pinkie's level. "How old are you, little filly?"

"Alright, enough." Esme had entered the room. "Thank you, Ivy and Steel. You may both leave now."

The two ponies gave respectful nods, and left the room without a word. Pinkie turned around to quickly brush away her tears. She couldn't let Esme see her cry. Esme closed the bedroom door and locked it. The leader of the Sinister Six said nothing as she removed the black hair pins from her mane. Pinkie watched silently as Esme removed her black leather jacket and slipped into a long black night shirt with sleeves.

There was something about this mare that was strangely unsettling to Pinkie Pie, but she couldn't put her hoof on it. Her very presence was chilling. Esme sat on her large bed facing the pink pony as she ran a brush through her long blonde mane. She stared at Pinkie for awhile. The party pony could hardly stand the silence any longer. "What's happening to my friend?" She asked. Esme simply kept staring. "Why am I here?" She pressed. Esme didn't respond.

"Okay, lady, you're seriously freaking me out."

Esme put down the brush and stood up. Pinkie gulped. Okay. Bad idea. Esme slowly walked over to Pinkie's cage, her expression unreadable. She reached out to touch the bars. Pinkie shrank back out of instinct. "Shh," Esme whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you, Pinkie Pie."

Pinkie was still for a moment. "Really?"

Esme nodded. "Really. Your safety here is my top priority." Pinkie sat up. "Oh, well _that's_ a relief," She said, using her arm to wipe off the beads of sweat that were previously forming on her forehead. "You know—aside from the whole me being sold to Chrysalis thing."

Esme smiled a little. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?" Pinkie looked down at her rumbling stomach. With all that's been going on, she didn't notice her hunger until now. The pink mare looked up and nodded vigorously. Esme went over to a mini fridge beside her bed (Which was most likely stolen) and took out some leftover spaghetti. Even though it didn't look appetizing, Pinkie drooled slightly at the sight of food. Esme placed the spaghetti into a small dish, and then she grabbed a bottle of water. A thought crossed Pinkie's mind. "Wait a minute! What about Cheese? Is he eating too?"

"Not at the minute, no."

Pinkie crossed her arms. "Then I'm not eating until I know he's eating," She said stubbornly. "He hasn't had anything since before the party, and I would know because he was stuck inside the bathroom for 20 minutes because of that hot sauce!" She realized what just blurted out. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Sorry, Cheese."

Esme smiled and went over to a call box next to the door. She pressed one of the buttons. "Red? Will you please make sure that Mr. Sandwich gets a proper meal before he goes to bed?"

" _ **You got it."**_

"Thank You."

She turned to Pinkie. "There, now. Are we satisfied?" Pinkie was not satisfied. She wanted to communicate with Cheese somehow, hear his voice again. She also wanted to make sure that he wasn't being hurt in any way. It hurt just to even think of the possibility that she might not see his smiling face again. At least she knew that he wouldn't be hungry; she didn't think that Esme would go as far as to lie to her and not give Cheese anything to eat at all. As much as she hated the idea of it, he _was_ supposed to be working after all. "… Yeah… I guess."

With that, Esme went over to the side of the cage and placed the items into the open small compartment and slid it inside so that Pinkie could retrieve it. The baker peered closely at the dish. "…Is this a dog dish?" She asked her eyes wide. Esme nodded. "I feel offended!" Her stomach growled once more. "Yet my hunger betrays me." She drove her face into the pile of spaghetti, noodles flying in every direction as she devoured the left over's. It was cold and stringy, but she felt much better. She lifted her head out of the dish, her face covered with sauce. "Sho whu happun to the dug?" She asked with her mouth full. Esme's mouth curved into an odd shape. "We had to… let him go." She said ominously.

"Oh. That's too bad," Pinkie said, not fully understanding what Esme really meant. She finished the last of the spaghetti quickly, using her tongue to lick the sauce off of her face. "So… why are you being so nice to me?" She asked suspiciously.

Esme chuckled. "What? I can't be nice once in a while?"

"Well, you _did_ rob all of those ponies at the party. And hurt them. And you tried to rob the kids… and you kinda kidnapped us."

Esme got up and slowly started to pace the room. "Yes. I did rob and injure those Prench folk. But items can be replaced, and those wounds can heal. And, as I recall, it was Sal's team that planned on robbing those children. I had no knowledge of this until after the fact. Also, kidnapping you two was a last resort. They had no choice in the matter since you saw two of our members without their masks, and that is a very important rule around here. It puts everypony here in danger. You understand that, don't you?"

Pinkie frowned. "I guess… but it still doesn't make it less wrong."

"Not everything is black and white, Pinkie. You and your friends have been battling countless villains for so long, it hasn't even occurred to you. Not everypony is one-sided."

"Yes it has!" Pinkie protested. "We reformed Discord and he never went back! Well, except that one time, but we're all like, totally besties now." Esme sat on her bed, giving the younger mare a small smile. "You remind me of my sister. She was always peppy and energetic, just like you. We were close once. I haven't seen her since 1997. I was… quite the rebel when I was your age. Left early. Maybe if you're good tonight, I'll let you have a pillow and some blankets, hmm?" She leaned across the bed to turn off the light within her oil lamp. "My friends will find us," Pinkie said in a quiet yet determined voice. "They've fought worse before."

"I'm sure they have," Esme said with a slight grin. "But I'd doubt they'll go up against Chrysalis without risking your life as well." With that said, she blew out the lantern and the whole room went dark. Pinkie hung her head sadly. She wished that Cheese was with her. The warmth that surrounded him, the smiles he shared. Without him it was like…like one half of her was gone. She felt worn and battered from the journey, physically and emotionally. Her back ached and her legs felt like jelly. And not the good kind of jelly. Her eye was hurting a lot more from being punched in the face while being taken. But to Pinkie Pie, the worst pain was being held in her heart.

She slowly curled up into a ball and shut her eyes tightly. _Maybe things will be better in the morning,_ Pinkie thought. _I'll be able to think more clearly once I get some sleep._

Pinkie didn't sleep one wink that night.

Twilight stared up at the full moon with half-lidded eyes. She was certain it was three in the morning by now. She averted her gaze from the window to her friends. It was nothing short of a miracle that they happened to be the only ponies to be riding on the train at this time of night. The majority of them were glad to be taking the hoods off of their heads. All was quiet, but no one was asleep. Rarity was skimming through the newspaper headlines. Fluttershy was turned on one side, but it was clear that she was wide awake. Spike was chewing through a gemstone with less enthusiasm than usual. Rainbow Dash was staring out the window looking both sad and frustrated, but she remained silent. Applejack sat next to Twilight looking completely and utterly exhausted, but her eyes were wide and alert. The bookworm glanced at her friend with worry. She had been rather soft spoken and off balanced since she arrived at Canterlot the day before.

"You look tired," Twilight whispered.

Applejack gave her a sideways glance and smiled weakly. "Yeah, well… I've had my hooves full lately."

"Were you hard at work? Are the Appeloosans and the Buffalo having trouble again?"

Applejack shook her head. "No. Everypony—and Buffalo—are gettin' along better than a corn field and a scarecrow. I kinda…" She chuckled lightly. "Delivered a foal recently." Twilight sat up with wide eyes. " _You_ delivered the foal? Applejack, that's amazing!" The farm pony ducked her head modestly. "Aw, shoot, it was nothin'. Wasn't any different than delivering a calf."

"Is it a filly or colt? Is it healthy? How far apart were the mother's contractions? Did the birthing happen as soon as her water broke? " Applejack held up a hoof. "Whoa, hold on now, Sugar cube," She said with a light laugh. "One thing at a time… I don't know if I can answer all that technological stuff, but bottom line—yes. She's healthy. Beautiful little thing. Her name's Mahogany."

Twilight sighed happily as she leaned her head back against the seat. "That sounds wonderful," she said softly.

"It's nice to know that good things can come out even during the roughest times," Applejack said gently.

Twilight nodded slowly. "That's true…. That's true." She glanced at the mare beside her. Applejack's eyelids were getting heavier and heavier, no matter how many times she tried to force them open. "You need to get some sleep, A.J.," Twilight said.

"Mmm-mmm. I ain't tired," Applejack replied, failing to stifle a yawn. Twilight suppressed a smirk and nudged her tired friend. "Yes you are. Don't be stubborn. You need to rest." She looked up to glance around at her friends. Spike and Fluttershy had fallen asleep. Rainbow had wrapped herself in her cape, looking much calmer than before. Rarity had put away the newspaper and was curled up ever so daintily on the two train seats she had to herself. "We all do." She looked back at Applejack. "Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich need all the strength we've got." Applejack nodded, knowing in her heart that Twilight was right. She leaned her head against Twilight's shoulder. "I'm just worried about her, Twilight," She mumbled as she fell asleep. Twilight rested her head on top of Applejack's. She closed her eyes. "Me too…"

"It's all my fault!" Cup Cake moaned mournfully. She was curled up on the couch with Granny Smith and her husband on either side of her. The baker rocked back and forth with tears rolling down her face. Carrot Cake wrapped his arms around his wife. "No, sugar dumpling. It was my fault. I should have never let her go."

"I gave the oka-a-ay!" Cup sobbed. Granny Smith rubbed her back. "Now, now, Mrs. Cake. Y'all couldn't have known that this would happen. It could've happened to _anypony._ I'm sure she'll be alright. The girls'll find her, you'll see."

Cup sniffed. "I love her like a daughter… but she's so small and naïve and sensitive… Who knows what's being done to her?!"

"Now you listen to me," Granny said. "I've known that mare for a long time now. She may be a few berries short in the bushel, but she's strong. Capable. Resilient. A full -fledged Apple. And I reckon that that Cheesy fella can hold his own too. Trust me." Cup Cake looked deep into the elderly mare's eyes. They were filled with determination and hope. Cup nodded slowly. "Thank you, Granny." She sniffled.

"This is _terrible,_ " Sweetie Belle lamented, pacing back and forth inside the Cutie mark Crusader Tree house. "I know," Scootaloo sighed. "I miss Pinkie Pie. She's so much fun!"

"And Cheese Sandwich was really nice," Apple Bloom added.

"Sweetie, you're making a groove in the floor." Scootaloo warned.

Sweetie barely heard her. "We've got to do something," she murmured. Apple Bloom frowned. "But what can _we_ do? The Royal Guard's lookin' for 'em, The Police are lookin' for 'em, and our sisters are lookin' for 'em—"

" _Shh!_ Not so loud! " Sweetie hissed. "Nopony else is supposed to know that, remember?"

"Sorry. But how can we help when we're supposed to stay inside Ponyville?" Scootaloo jumped over to Sweetie Belle and stopped her with her hooves. "Seriously! Enough with the pacing! You're making me even _more_ nervous!"

The young unicorn sighed. "I'm sorry. My mind's on the fritz today."

Scootaloo nodded and sat down on a box. "It's okay. But you're right though. We should _do_ something about this! I love Pinkie Pie! We can't just sit here and do nothing!"

Sweetie Belle's expression was sad and empathetic. "I know. Nothing would make me happier than to take action. But the guards have ordered everypony to stay within the town borders for safety precautions. I love Pinkie too. Everypony in town does, especially all the other kids, but unless we come up with some genius plan that's gonna help her and Cheese Sandwich, we're gonna be stuck here for awhile."

Apple Bloom rested her arms outside of the window. Ponyville was much much quieter since Pinkie went missing. Ponies wandered about the town looking sad and depressed. They would often give comfort hugs to one another, reassuring words on their lips. Even the sky seemed a little bit darker. The filly sighed. _Pinkie sure wouldn't want this… she loves Ponyville. She'd hate to see it in this state…_

"That's it!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, startling the other two fillies.

"What's it?" Scootaloo asked.

"Ponyville!" The small yellow filly replied with a grin.

"What about it?" Sweetie Belle inquired.

"Things have been down and out around here since Pinkie's been gone. You know she wouldn't want that for us! Here's what I'm thinkin'. The media's been covering this case from the beginning. _Every. Single. Detail_."

"Go on," Scootaloo said, starting to gain interest.

"So what if we spruce up the town with its Pinkie Pie flair and get the press to cover it? It's just like you said—everypony here loves Pinkie! We shouldn't be mourning for her… we should be celebrating her! That way we can get that message to her and Cheese that we're rootin' for 'em! Show her how much we love her!"

Sweetie Belle perked up. "That's a _perfect_ idea! We can throw parties in their honor; bake cupcakes and everything!"

Scootaloo's wings buzzed with excitement. "Cheese has thrown parties all over Equestria—we can get others to throw parties in _his_ honor too!"

"We—We could start a campaign!" Apple Bloom squealed.

Scootaloo suddenly frowned. "Only one problem guys. We don't have the money for it." The fillies were quiet for a moment. Sweetie Belle lifted her head with a serious expression on her face. "No… but I know somepony who does."

The two other girls gasped. "You're not serious!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"It's madness, Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom cried.

The small unicorn held up a hoof. "It's a sacrifice we have to make, Crusaders! These ponies' spirits depend on it! There is a light that still shines bright in this town! And whatever it takes, we must help ignite it! Now… are you with me?"

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo exchanged glances before looking back at their fellow Crusader. Scootaloo paused before giving a slow nod. "Yeah… we're with you."

Sweetie returned the nod earnestly. "Then let's do this."

Diamond Tiara glared at the CMC, who stood on her front doorsteps, with anger and disgust. "What are you blank flanks doing here?" She demanded. Silver Spoon came out from the mansion behind her. "What gives?" She said in the same exact tone. Apple Bloom spoke, ignoring the insult. "We didn't come lookin' for a fight. We need your help."

Diamond scoffed. " _Help you?_ I'd rather spend the day scrubbing floors then waste a single _second_ of my time helping a hillbilly, a squeak toy, and a dodo. Not that I would. That's the butler's job."

Scootaloo scowled. "And I'd rather punch you in the face!" Her friends shot her a stern look. "…But that's not we're here for." She said, her tone softening a bit.

"We come in peace!" Sweetie Bell insisted. "We could really use some help from you guys."

"Grody to the max!" Silver Spoon grimaced, straightening her glasses. "What do you even _want?_ "

"It's about Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich." Apple Bloom said. The two wealthy fillies' smirks vanished within an instant. Their postures faltered a little. "…Well…yeah? What about them?" Diamond questioned in the softest tone they'd ever heard her speak in.

Apple Bloom drew in a small breath. "Well… with Pinkie gone, Ponyville's become a gloomy place, and you know that's what she wouldn't want at all. We were hoping to get other ponies to celebrate her and all that she's done as well as get other lands and countries that Cheese had visited to celebrate what he's done. And when the press covers it, they're bound to see it. Show 'em that we care and that we're cheering them on."

"It's also to show Equestria how special they are. Also, it'll help them be recognized faster," Sweetie added.

"We can encourage everypony to help look for them and bring them back home!" Scootaloo finished.

"…Like…a campaign?" Silver asked.

Apple Bloom smiled and nodded. "Exactly!"

"But we can't do it without your help," Sweetie said earnestly. Diamond looked at her friend who was scuffing her hoof against the ground. "I _do_ miss her, Di," She admitted, her violet eyes downcast. "And her parties."

The pink filly sighed. "She _did_ do a good job at my Cutecinera. I mean… she passed my standards and all. And I guess Cheese was…an okay party planner." She looked at the three fillies before her, staring at her with hopeful eyes. She raised her head. "Fine. We'll help with your idea. Come on in. But remember—we're still rivals. I'm only doing this for Pinkie." The CMC broke out into fierce grins and raced into the mansion with profound excitement.

"Rise and shine!" Cheese Sandwich's eyes snapped open. "Ahh!" He yelped, sitting straight up in his cot. The voice that woke him up laughed. He turned his head to see Sal chuckling at him on the other side of the bars. He had been put in a tiny room with nothing but a cot and a scratchy blanket with jail-like bars keeping him from escaping. Cheese hadn't gotten much sleep at all. After being separated from Pinkie, they had given a little bit to eat and then put him in this room. Or jail cell. It wasn't that much different. He missed Pinkie more than anyone could ever know. It was like someone had ripped half of him apart. He was half a sandwich.

"Whoa," Sal said looking at Cheese's bloodshot eyes. "I'm guessing you didn't quite get a visit from Luna last night, huh, son? Heh heh." A pony next to him took out some keys and unlocked the bar doors. "Come on, sticks, you got work to do."

Cheese was brought down a flight of stairs; the bottom of the facility. He could feel immense heat as soon as he got within 11 feet of it. At the bottom, there was a _huge_ furnace. Dirt covered ponies in dirty clothing were shoveling coal into it. The fire roared dangerously. "This is how we get our heat," Sal shouted over the noise. He pointed farther back, where Cheese saw more ponies pushing carts filled with coal. Behind them was a huge dark cave where he could hear faint tinkering. "That back there's the mines. That's where the real danger is. But today, your job is to shovel the coal into the furnace. Hey, Dusty! Get over here!" A grey pony wearing a coal-miner's outfit looked up from supervising two others and trotted over to them. He had a helmet on his head and he was covered with ash and soot. "This is Dusty Tail, he's here to supervise you." Dusty looked at Cheese and laughed. "Bad perm day, son? Or did you forget, the 70s are over and done with?"

Cheese stared at him blankly. He'd heard all the jokes.

Sal chuckled. "Welp, this boy needs to do some work around here, and I was hopin' that you could teach him how it's done."

Dusty smirked and looked Cheese up and down. "Alright, but it'd take a miracle of some sort to get _him_ into shape. Heh! He's all skin and bones! But I'll see what I can do."

Sal nodded. "Good. I'll leave you to it." He started walking away. "Oh, and by the way," He called back. "If he tries any funny business, don't hesitate in burning him."

"Oh, don't worry, I won't," Dusty laughed as Sal left. Cheese swallowed a lump in his throat. Dusty slapped a hoof on his shoulder which made him jump. "Relax, boy, I don't bite. Much." He laughed at his own joke. "Now, I'll be helping you through the easy stuff, but after that, you're on your own, got it?"

The younger pony nodded jerkily.

"But first… we gotta get rid of that shirt," Dusty said, glaring disapprovingly at Cheese's attire. "Frankly, it's hurting my eyes."

Pinkie lay on her stomach, still inside the birdcage, bored out of her mind. Esme had left, but she had turned on the T.V. for Pinkie to watch while she was gone. To Pinkie's dismay, it was a channel that only showed boring antique shops. The pink pony sighed dramatically and rolled over on her back. "I am soooo boooored!" She moaned. "Naaaaaahh!" Suddenly, the PNN logo flashed across the screen with Breaking News. "Finally!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Maybe it's an epic cart chase!" Another image appeared. It was two ponies, one pink, one orange. "Heh, that looks like us," Pinkie chuckled lightly. Then her eyes widened. "Wait, what?!" She fell onto her side and sat straight up. Yep, It was them alright, posing in front of the open window of Madame Honey's mansion. Pinkie gazed at Cheese's grinning face. Her heart lurched, thinking of how much she missed him.

" _ **The search continues for Pinkamena Diane Pie and Cheese Albert Sandwich who were last seen in Paris Prance…"**_

"It's Pinkie Pie!" She huffed. "Wait…they're looking for us?" She grinned and pumped her hoof in the air. "Alright!"

" _ **So far, the police have found a small clue just outside the border of Prance; a small strand of brown hair, most likely Cheese's. Nothing else has been reported."**_

"We must be really far away from Prance," Pinkie frowned. "…But… they'll find us. I know they will."

" _ **In lighter news, there's been an organization going on in Ponyville, Pinkie Pie's hometown. Ponies there seem to have thrown a giant party in her honor… and it all started with five little fillies, and Wendy Waters has the story, Wendy?"**_

Pinkie's eyes practically popped out of her head. Ponyville was _covered_ in pink. Every door on every house had a picture of her cutie mark on it: Three balloons. All of the lampposts had big pink ribbons tied to them. Shimmering pink banners were being hung by pegasi. On them were tiny blue jewels that spelled out _We love you, Pinkie Pie!_ Ponies were wearing pink t-shirts that said _Free Pinkie and Cheese!_ A mare in a reporter's outfit was standing in front of the scene with a smile on her face. " _ **Yes, Dave, the Citizens of Ponyville have all gathered here to celebrate the life of their beloved party planner Pinkie, and guest party planner Cheese. The town is all decked out in pink, and cupcakes and other sweets are being passed out as well as cheese sandwiches. Some have even combined the two and made it a 'Pinkwich' no pun intended. I'm here with the fillies that started it all."**_ The camera panned out to reveal that Wendy was standing next to Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon. Wendy lowered her microphone to Apple Bloom's level. " _ **Tell me, how did you come up with this idea?"**_

" _ **Oh, well, it was a group effort,"**_ Apple Bloom smiled. " _ **We just love and miss Pinkie Pie so much. We wanted to let her know that as much as possible."**_

" _ **She's the greatest!"**_ Sweetie squeaked happily. " _ **Next to Rarity, of course. There's nopony like her!"**_

" _ **I paid for everything!"**_ Diamond cut in, grabbing the microphone with a huge smile on her face. " _ **And me!"**_ Silver added. Scootaloo rolled her eyes and snatched the microphone from the both of them. " _ **We're all behind you, Pinke! The two of you will be back in no time! You got this!"**_

For the first time in her life, Pinkie was speechless. Happy tears rolled down her cheeks.

Scootaloo had returned the microphone to the reporter who chuckled. " _ **Well there you have it—oh, thank you!"**_ A random pony had pinned a button on her shirt that said _Smile!_ With stars and hearts surrounding the word. " _ **A vigil will be held for Pinkie tonight. Various parts of Equesrtia have also been celebrating Cheese Sandwich, locations such as Dodge Junction, Phillydelphia, Las Pegasus, Baltimare, Manehattan, and so much more. He will also have a vigil in Manehattan, where he grew up."**_ A blast of confetti shot out from behind the reporter, followed by a " _ **Be careful with that thing!"**_ Wendy seemed oblivious. " _ **Live from Ponyville, I'm Wendy Waters, PNN News."**_

Pinkie sniffled and wiped away her tears. "T-That's the n-nicest most *Hiccup* wonderfullest thing *Sob* ever! Ch-Cheesy would be so happy…*Sniff* _I'm so happy!_ "

Dave reappeared on the screen. " _ **Thanks, Wendy. In Canterlot, Princess Celestia is cautioning subjects to be careful if they should encounter the sinister six. If you should see any of them or Pinkie and Cheese Sandwich, the best action is to contact an officer or a guard. Do not put yourself in danger. Also, Princess Twilight and the other bearers of Harmony are still in deep grief over the disappearance of Pinkie Pie. They are said to be undergoing intensive care and therapy."**_

Pinkie put a hoof to her mouth. "Oh no! My poor-!" Her ears started to tingle. "Wait a minute…"

Ear tingle.

Back itch.

Eyebrow twitch.

"That's a lie!" Pinkie exclaimed. "My friends are looking for us—I can feel it!" She started to shiver and jerk. "Yep! They're a lookin'!"

Lilly suddenly came in with blankets on her back and stared at Pinkie with a shocked expression. The baker smiled and tried to stop herself from twitching, but her senses weren't having it. "Ooooh… Good Morning! Or afternoon!" She shivered.

"Er… Are you alright? Are you having an… _attack_ of some kind?" Lilly asked.

"Nope! This always happens!" Pinkie finally stopped. "Whoo! That's better." Lilly blinked. "Right…" She walked over to Pinkie's cage and placed the folded blankets into the small compartment like Esme had done so that Pinkie could get them. "Esme said you were good last night, so I offered to bring you the blankets," She explained. Pinkie beamed as she wrapped the comfy blanket around her body. "Thanks! That's really nice of you! What's your name?"

"…Lilly."

"Thanks a bunch, Lilly! Normally, I'd be hugging you right now, but… y'know…cage…" Lilly chuckled lightly. "Huh… you're welcome." She looked around and lowered her voice to a whisper. "But that's not entirely why I came here…" Pinkie looked confused.

"Huh?"

"…Do you trust me?"

Cheese grunted as he shoveled what had to be his thirty-hundredth pile of coal into the furnace. The coal miner's outfit he was forced to wear didn't make this job any easier. Dusty was supervising the whole process. He walked behind the workers scrutinizing their every move. "Pick it up, Sandwich!" He yelled. Cheese puffed as he drove his heavy shovel into the huge pile of coal. " _With the sting of the whip on my shoulder…"_

A few ponies near him gave him strange looks. " _With the salt of my sweat on my brow… Elohim, God on high can you hear your ponies cry? Help us now… This dark hour…"_

He whipped out his accordion and started to play. " _Deliver us! Hear our call, deliver us! Lord of all remember us, here with this burning coal… Deliver us! There's a party you promised us! Deliver us, to the—"_ Dusty knocked his accordion down to the ground. "Enough _singing!_ " He yelled. "Now get back to work, or you'll become a grilled cheese sandwich, you got me?" Cheese nodded vigorously. "Yes sir!" He squeaked.

"Good!"

Satisfied after watching Cheese shovel more coal, he moved on to the other workers. In his head, he wondered where in Equestria he got that accordion. Cheese glanced up to see if Dusty was out of hearing range. Returning his gaze back to his work, he began singing under his breath. " _Look down… Look down… Don't look them in the eye…"_ The ponies around him groaned.

After ten hours of shoveling coal, an exhausted Cheese Sandwich was finally brought back to his tiny room. Every muscle ached. His hooves had multiple blisters. His arms carried burn marks from getting in trouble. He collapsed onto his cot which now felt like an oasis.

"…Cheese?"

The party pony perked up at the sound of his name. He lifted his head to see Lilly staring at him from behind the bars. She had tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked. "Are you okay?" Lilly made a sound that was a cross between a laugh and a sob. She clutched the bars like a life line. Curious, Cheese slid off the cot and stood to meet the mare's gaze. "…Look at you… you're all grown up now," Lilly chuckled sadly. Cheese raised an eyebrow. "Uh…I'm… sorry?"

"Cheese… Don't you remember me? Look closer."

Cheese squinted his eyes as he looked deeper into her eyes. Wait…. No…. It _couldn't_ be… His eyes widened and he stumbled back a little. He looked at Lilly for the first time, like _really_ looked at her… she had changed… but it was unmistakable. Tears watered his eyes. "….Aunt Blueberry?"

Pinkie Pie felt nothing but despair as she was dragged inside Esme's large bedroom. There was a large bird cage in the corner. _Another cage?!_ Pinkie thought. _Really now?!_ She was promptly forced inside before she could even get a word in. Her melancholy quickly turned into anger as Ivy shut the cage door and applied the lock to it. "You'd better let me out of this cage, or you're in for a world of hurt!" Steel and Poison Ivy only gazed at her in slight amusement. "I mean it!" Pinkie warned. She pulled at the chains that restrained her hooves. "I can break these chains!"

Poison shook her head. "You can't break those chains."

"NAAAARG!" Pinkie couldn't break those chains.

Steel laughed. "Don't get yourself all worked up, cupcake," He said. "You ain't goin' anywhere." Pinkie shot him a fierce glare. "I'd watch myself if I were you, mister! I'm like a puma! I'll come at you from behind!"

Steel smirked. "Oh yeah, sure, I'll make sure that I'm _extra careful_ around _you_ next time," He cooed. "I'm shaking in my boots!" Ivy jeered. Pinkie's face burned bright red as the two ponies shared a laugh. The one thing she hated more than a broken promise was ponies laughing at her. She _hated_ being laughed at. "You're… you're just a couple of _big meanies!_ " She cursed.

The two thieves went silent for a moment. They took one look at each other and then they howled with laughter. "Big meanies? _Oh no!_ " Steel cackled.

" _Such language,_ " Ivy snickered.

Pinkie's eyes watered in anger and sadness. Her bottom lip started to tremble slightly. Ivy stuck out her own lower lip, mocking Pinkie Pie. "Aww, it looks like we've hurt her feelings!" She laughed again. "Look at her, she's like a child."

Steel nodded in agreement. "She practically _is_ a child." He bent his knees a bit to Pinkie's level. "How old are you, little filly?"

"Alright, enough." Esme had entered the room. "Thank you, Ivy and Steel. You may both leave now."

The two ponies gave respectful nods, and left the room without a word. Pinkie turned around to quickly brush away her tears. She couldn't let Esme see her cry. Esme closed the bedroom door and locked it. The leader of the Sinister Six said nothing as she removed the black hair pins from her mane. Pinkie watched silently as Esme removed her black leather jacket and slipped into a long black night shirt with sleeves.

There was something about this mare that was strangely unsettling to Pinkie Pie, but she couldn't put her hoof on it. Her very presence was chilling. Esme sat on her large bed facing the pink pony as she ran a brush through her long blonde mane. She stared at Pinkie for awhile. The party pony could hardly stand the silence any longer. "What's happening to my friend?" She asked. Esme simply kept staring. "Why am I here?" She pressed. Esme didn't respond.

"Okay, lady, you're seriously freaking me out."

Esme put down the brush and stood up. Pinkie gulped. Okay. Bad idea. Esme slowly walked over to Pinkie's cage, her expression unreadable. She reached out to touch the bars. Pinkie shrank back out of instinct. "Shh," Esme whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you, Pinkie Pie."

Pinkie was still for a moment. "Really?"

Esme nodded. "Really. Your safety here is my top priority." Pinkie sat up. "Oh, well _that's_ a relief," She said, using her arm to wipe off the beads of sweat that were previously forming on her forehead. "You know—aside from the whole me being sold to Chrysalis thing."

Esme smiled a little. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?" Pinkie looked down at her rumbling stomach. With all that's been going on, she didn't notice her hunger until now. The pink mare looked up and nodded vigorously. Esme went over to a mini fridge beside her bed (Which was most likely stolen) and took out some leftover spaghetti. Even though it didn't look appetizing, Pinkie drooled slightly at the sight of food. Esme placed the spaghetti into a small dish, and then she grabbed a bottle of water. A thought crossed Pinkie's mind. "Wait a minute! What about Cheese? Is he eating too?"

"Not at the minute, no."

Pinkie crossed her arms. "Then I'm not eating until I know he's eating," She said stubbornly. "He hasn't had anything since before the party, and I would know because he was stuck inside the bathroom for 20 minutes because of that hot sauce!" She realized what just blurted out. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Sorry, Cheese."

Esme smiled and went over to a call box next to the door. She pressed one of the buttons. "Red? Will you please make sure that Mr. Sandwich gets a proper meal before he goes to bed?"

" _ **You got it."**_

"Thank You."

She turned to Pinkie. "There, now. Are we satisfied?" Pinkie was not satisfied. She wanted to communicate with Cheese somehow, hear his voice again. She also wanted to make sure that he wasn't being hurt in any way. It hurt just to even think of the possibility that she might not see his smiling face again. At least she knew that he wouldn't be hungry; she didn't think that Esme would go as far as to lie to her and not give Cheese anything to eat at all. As much as she hated the idea of it, he _was_ supposed to be working after all. "… Yeah… I guess."

With that, Esme went over to the side of the cage and placed the items into the open small compartment and slid it inside so that Pinkie could retrieve it. The baker peered closely at the dish. "…Is this a dog dish?" She asked her eyes wide. Esme nodded. "I feel offended!" Her stomach growled once more. "Yet my hunger betrays me." She drove her face into the pile of spaghetti, noodles flying in every direction as she devoured the left over's. It was cold and stringy, but she felt much better. She lifted her head out of the dish, her face covered with sauce. "Sho whu happun to the dug?" She asked with her mouth full. Esme's mouth curved into an odd shape. "We had to… let him go." She said ominously.

"Oh. That's too bad," Pinkie said, not fully understanding what Esme really meant. She finished the last of the spaghetti quickly, using her tongue to lick the sauce off of her face. "So… why are you being so nice to me?" She asked suspiciously.

Esme chuckled. "What? I can't be nice once in a while?"

"Well, you _did_ rob all of those ponies at the party. And hurt them. And you tried to rob the kids… and you kinda kidnapped us."

Esme got up and slowly started to pace the room. "Yes. I did rob and injure those Prench folk. But items can be replaced, and those wounds can heal. And, as I recall, it was Sal's team that planned on robbing those children. I had no knowledge of this until after the fact. Also, kidnapping you two was a last resort. They had no choice in the matter since you saw two of our members without their masks, and that is a very important rule around here. It puts everypony here in danger. You understand that, don't you?"

Pinkie frowned. "I guess… but it still doesn't make it less wrong."

"Not everything is black and white, Pinkie. You and your friends have been battling countless villains for so long, it hasn't even occurred to you. Not everypony is one-sided."

"Yes it has!" Pinkie protested. "We reformed Discord and he never went back! Well, except that one time, but we're all like, totally besties now." Esme sat on her bed, giving the younger mare a small smile. "You remind me of my sister. She was always peppy and energetic, just like you. We were close once. I haven't seen her since 1997. I was… quite the rebel when I was your age. Left early. Maybe if you're good tonight, I'll let you have a pillow and some blankets, hmm?" She leaned across the bed to turn off the light within her oil lamp. "My friends will find us," Pinkie said in a quiet yet determined voice. "They've fought worse before."

"I'm sure they have," Esme said with a slight grin. "But I'd doubt they'll go up against Chrysalis without risking your life as well." With that said, she blew out the lantern and the whole room went dark. Pinkie hung her head sadly. She wished that Cheese was with her. The warmth that surrounded him, the smiles he shared. Without him it was like…like one half of her was gone. She felt worn and battered from the journey, physically and emotionally. Her back ached and her legs felt like jelly. And not the good kind of jelly. Her eye was hurting a lot more from being punched in the face while being taken. But to Pinkie Pie, the worst pain was being held in her heart.

She slowly curled up into a ball and shut her eyes tightly. _Maybe things will be better in the morning,_ Pinkie thought. _I'll be able to think more clearly once I get some sleep._

Pinkie didn't sleep one wink that night.

Twilight stared up at the full moon with half-lidded eyes. She was certain it was three in the morning by now. She averted her gaze from the window to her friends. It was nothing short of a miracle that they happened to be the only ponies to be riding on the train at this time of night. The majority of them were glad to be taking the hoods off of their heads. All was quiet, but no one was asleep. Rarity was skimming through the newspaper headlines. Fluttershy was turned on one side, but it was clear that she was wide awake. Spike was chewing through a gemstone with less enthusiasm than usual. Rainbow Dash was staring out the window looking both sad and frustrated, but she remained silent. Applejack sat next to Twilight looking completely and utterly exhausted, but her eyes were wide and alert. The bookworm glanced at her friend with worry. She had been rather soft spoken and off balanced since she arrived at Canterlot the day before.

"You look tired," Twilight whispered.

Applejack gave her a sideways glance and smiled weakly. "Yeah, well… I've had my hooves full lately."

"Were you hard at work? Are the Appeloosans and the Buffalo having trouble again?"

Applejack shook her head. "No. Everypony—and Buffalo—are gettin' along better than a corn field and a scarecrow. I kinda…" She chuckled lightly. "Delivered a foal recently." Twilight sat up with wide eyes. " _You_ delivered the foal? Applejack, that's amazing!" The farm pony ducked her head modestly. "Aw, shoot, it was nothin'. Wasn't any different than delivering a calf."

"Is it a filly or colt? Is it healthy? How far apart were the mother's contractions? Did the birthing happen as soon as her water broke? " Applejack held up a hoof. "Whoa, hold on now, Sugar cube," She said with a light laugh. "One thing at a time… I don't know if I can answer all that technological stuff, but bottom line—yes. She's healthy. Beautiful little thing. Her name's Mahogany."

Twilight sighed happily as she leaned her head back against the seat. "That sounds wonderful," she said softly.

"It's nice to know that good things can come out even during the roughest times," Applejack said gently.

Twilight nodded slowly. "That's true…. That's true." She glanced at the mare beside her. Applejack's eyelids were getting heavier and heavier, no matter how many times she tried to force them open. "You need to get some sleep, A.J.," Twilight said.

"Mmm-mmm. I ain't tired," Applejack replied, failing to stifle a yawn. Twilight suppressed a smirk and nudged her tired friend. "Yes you are. Don't be stubborn. You need to rest." She looked up to glance around at her friends. Spike and Fluttershy had fallen asleep. Rainbow had wrapped herself in her cape, looking much calmer than before. Rarity had put away the newspaper and was curled up ever so daintily on the two train seats she had to herself. "We all do." She looked back at Applejack. "Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich need all the strength we've got." Applejack nodded, knowing in her heart that Twilight was right. She leaned her head against Twilight's shoulder. "I'm just worried about her, Twilight," She mumbled as she fell asleep. Twilight rested her head on top of Applejack's. She closed her eyes. "Me too…"

"It's all my fault!" Cup Cake moaned mournfully. She was curled up on the couch with Granny Smith and her husband on either side of her. The baker rocked back and forth with tears rolling down her face. Carrot Cake wrapped his arms around his wife. "No, sugar dumpling. It was my fault. I should have never let her go."

"I gave the oka-a-ay!" Cup sobbed. Granny Smith rubbed her back. "Now, now, Mrs. Cake. Y'all couldn't have known that this would happen. It could've happened to _anypony._ I'm sure she'll be alright. The girls'll find her, you'll see."

Cup sniffed. "I love her like a daughter… but she's so small and naïve and sensitive… Who knows what's being done to her?!"

"Now you listen to me," Granny said. "I've known that mare for a long time now. She may be a few berries short in the bushel, but she's strong. Capable. Resilient. A full -fledged Apple. And I reckon that that Cheesy fella can hold his own too. Trust me." Cup Cake looked deep into the elderly mare's eyes. They were filled with determination and hope. Cup nodded slowly. "Thank you, Granny." She sniffled.

"This is _terrible,_ " Sweetie Belle lamented, pacing back and forth inside the Cutie mark Crusader Tree house. "I know," Scootaloo sighed. "I miss Pinkie Pie. She's so much fun!"

"And Cheese Sandwich was really nice," Apple Bloom added.

"Sweetie, you're making a groove in the floor." Scootaloo warned.

Sweetie barely heard her. "We've got to do something," she murmured. Apple Bloom frowned. "But what can _we_ do? The Royal Guard's lookin' for 'em, The Police are lookin' for 'em, and our sisters are lookin' for 'em—"

" _Shh!_ Not so loud! " Sweetie hissed. "Nopony else is supposed to know that, remember?"

"Sorry. But how can we help when we're supposed to stay inside Ponyville?" Scootaloo jumped over to Sweetie Belle and stopped her with her hooves. "Seriously! Enough with the pacing! You're making me even _more_ nervous!"

The young unicorn sighed. "I'm sorry. My mind's on the fritz today."

Scootaloo nodded and sat down on a box. "It's okay. But you're right though. We should _do_ something about this! I love Pinkie Pie! We can't just sit here and do nothing!"

Sweetie Belle's expression was sad and empathetic. "I know. Nothing would make me happier than to take action. But the guards have ordered everypony to stay within the town borders for safety precautions. I love Pinkie too. Everypony in town does, especially all the other kids, but unless we come up with some genius plan that's gonna help her and Cheese Sandwich, we're gonna be stuck here for awhile."

Apple Bloom rested her arms outside of the window. Ponyville was much much quieter since Pinkie went missing. Ponies wandered about the town looking sad and depressed. They would often give comfort hugs to one another, reassuring words on their lips. Even the sky seemed a little bit darker. The filly sighed. _Pinkie sure wouldn't want this… she loves Ponyville. She'd hate to see it in this state…_

"That's it!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, startling the other two fillies.

"What's it?" Scootaloo asked.

"Ponyville!" The small yellow filly replied with a grin.

"What about it?" Sweetie Belle inquired.

"Things have been down and out around here since Pinkie's been gone. You know she wouldn't want that for us! Here's what I'm thinkin'. The media's been covering this case from the beginning. _Every. Single. Detail_."

"Go on," Scootaloo said, starting to gain interest.

"So what if we spruce up the town with its Pinkie Pie flair and get the press to cover it? It's just like you said—everypony here loves Pinkie! We shouldn't be mourning for her… we should be celebrating her! That way we can get that message to her and Cheese that we're rootin' for 'em! Show her how much we love her!"

Sweetie Belle perked up. "That's a _perfect_ idea! We can throw parties in their honor; bake cupcakes and everything!"

Scootaloo's wings buzzed with excitement. "Cheese has thrown parties all over Equestria—we can get others to throw parties in _his_ honor too!"

"We—We could start a campaign!" Apple Bloom squealed.

Scootaloo suddenly frowned. "Only one problem guys. We don't have the money for it." The fillies were quiet for a moment. Sweetie Belle lifted her head with a serious expression on her face. "No… but I know somepony who does."

The two other girls gasped. "You're not serious!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"It's madness, Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom cried.

The small unicorn held up a hoof. "It's a sacrifice we have to make, Crusaders! These ponies' spirits depend on it! There is a light that still shines bright in this town! And whatever it takes, we must help ignite it! Now… are you with me?"

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo exchanged glances before looking back at their fellow Crusader. Scootaloo paused before giving a slow nod. "Yeah… we're with you."

Sweetie returned the nod earnestly. "Then let's do this."

Diamond Tiara glared at the CMC, who stood on her front doorsteps, with anger and disgust. "What are you blank flanks doing here?" She demanded. Silver Spoon came out from the mansion behind her. "What gives?" She said in the same exact tone. Apple Bloom spoke, ignoring the insult. "We didn't come lookin' for a fight. We need your help."

Diamond scoffed. " _Help you?_ I'd rather spend the day scrubbing floors then waste a single _second_ of my time helping a hillbilly, a squeak toy, and a dodo. Not that I would. That's the butler's job."

Scootaloo scowled. "And I'd rather punch you in the face!" Her friends shot her a stern look. "…But that's not we're here for." She said, her tone softening a bit.

"We come in peace!" Sweetie Bell insisted. "We could really use some help from you guys."

"Grody to the max!" Silver Spoon grimaced, straightening her glasses. "What do you even _want?_ "

"It's about Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich." Apple Bloom said. The two wealthy fillies' smirks vanished within an instant. Their postures faltered a little. "…Well…yeah? What about them?" Diamond questioned in the softest tone they'd ever heard her speak in.

Apple Bloom drew in a small breath. "Well… with Pinkie gone, Ponyville's become a gloomy place, and you know that's what she wouldn't want at all. We were hoping to get other ponies to celebrate her and all that she's done as well as get other lands and countries that Cheese had visited to celebrate what he's done. And when the press covers it, they're bound to see it. Show 'em that we care and that we're cheering them on."

"It's also to show Equestria how special they are. Also, it'll help them be recognized faster," Sweetie added.

"We can encourage everypony to help look for them and bring them back home!" Scootaloo finished.

"…Like…a campaign?" Silver asked.

Apple Bloom smiled and nodded. "Exactly!"

"But we can't do it without your help," Sweetie said earnestly. Diamond looked at her friend who was scuffing her hoof against the ground. "I _do_ miss her, Di," She admitted, her violet eyes downcast. "And her parties."

The pink filly sighed. "She _did_ do a good job at my Cutecinera. I mean… she passed my standards and all. And I guess Cheese was…an okay party planner." She looked at the three fillies before her, staring at her with hopeful eyes. She raised her head. "Fine. We'll help with your idea. Come on in. But remember—we're still rivals. I'm only doing this for Pinkie." The CMC broke out into fierce grins and raced into the mansion with profound excitement.

"Rise and shine!" Cheese Sandwich's eyes snapped open. "Ahh!" He yelped, sitting straight up in his cot. The voice that woke him up laughed. He turned his head to see Sal chuckling at him on the other side of the bars. He had been put in a tiny room with nothing but a cot and a scratchy blanket with jail-like bars keeping him from escaping. Cheese hadn't gotten much sleep at all. After being separated from Pinkie, they had given a little bit to eat and then put him in this room. Or jail cell. It wasn't that much different. He missed Pinkie more than anyone could ever know. It was like someone had ripped half of him apart. He was half a sandwich.

"Whoa," Sal said looking at Cheese's bloodshot eyes. "I'm guessing you didn't quite get a visit from Luna last night, huh, son? Heh heh." A pony next to him took out some keys and unlocked the bar doors. "Come on, sticks, you got work to do."

Cheese was brought down a flight of stairs; the bottom of the facility. He could feel immense heat as soon as he got within 11 feet of it. At the bottom, there was a _huge_ furnace. Dirt covered ponies in dirty clothing were shoveling coal into it. The fire roared dangerously. "This is how we get our heat," Sal shouted over the noise. He pointed farther back, where Cheese saw more ponies pushing carts filled with coal. Behind them was a huge dark cave where he could hear faint tinkering. "That back there's the mines. That's where the real danger is. But today, your job is to shovel the coal into the furnace. Hey, Dusty! Get over here!" A grey pony wearing a coal-miner's outfit looked up from supervising two others and trotted over to them. He had a helmet on his head and he was covered with ash and soot. "This is Dusty Tail, he's here to supervise you." Dusty looked at Cheese and laughed. "Bad perm day, son? Or did you forget, the 70s are over and done with?"

Cheese stared at him blankly. He'd heard all the jokes.

Sal chuckled. "Welp, this boy needs to do some work around here, and I was hopin' that you could teach him how it's done."

Dusty smirked and looked Cheese up and down. "Alright, but it'd take a miracle of some sort to get _him_ into shape. Heh! He's all skin and bones! But I'll see what I can do."

Sal nodded. "Good. I'll leave you to it." He started walking away. "Oh, and by the way," He called back. "If he tries any funny business, don't hesitate in burning him."

"Oh, don't worry, I won't," Dusty laughed as Sal left. Cheese swallowed a lump in his throat. Dusty slapped a hoof on his shoulder which made him jump. "Relax, boy, I don't bite. Much." He laughed at his own joke. "Now, I'll be helping you through the easy stuff, but after that, you're on your own, got it?"

The younger pony nodded jerkily.

"But first… we gotta get rid of that shirt," Dusty said, glaring disapprovingly at Cheese's attire. "Frankly, it's hurting my eyes."

Pinkie lay on her stomach, still inside the birdcage, bored out of her mind. Esme had left, but she had turned on the T.V. for Pinkie to watch while she was gone. To Pinkie's dismay, it was a channel that only showed boring antique shops. The pink pony sighed dramatically and rolled over on her back. "I am soooo boooored!" She moaned. "Naaaaaahh!" Suddenly, the PNN logo flashed across the screen with Breaking News. "Finally!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Maybe it's an epic cart chase!" Another image appeared. It was two ponies, one pink, one orange. "Heh, that looks like us," Pinkie chuckled lightly. Then her eyes widened. "Wait, what?!" She fell onto her side and sat straight up. Yep, It was them alright, posing in front of the open window of Madame Honey's mansion. Pinkie gazed at Cheese's grinning face. Her heart lurched, thinking of how much she missed him.

" _ **The search continues for Pinkamena Diane Pie and Cheese Albert Sandwich who were last seen in Paris Prance…"**_

"It's Pinkie Pie!" She huffed. "Wait…they're looking for us?" She grinned and pumped her hoof in the air. "Alright!"

" _ **So far, the police have found a small clue just outside the border of Prance; a small strand of brown hair, most likely Cheese's. Nothing else has been reported."**_

"We must be really far away from Prance," Pinkie frowned. "…But… they'll find us. I know they will."

" _ **In lighter news, there's been an organization going on in Ponyville, Pinkie Pie's hometown. Ponies there seem to have thrown a giant party in her honor… and it all started with five little fillies, and Wendy Waters has the story, Wendy?"**_

Pinkie's eyes practically popped out of her head. Ponyville was _covered_ in pink. Every door on every house had a picture of her cutie mark on it: Three balloons. All of the lampposts had big pink ribbons tied to them. Shimmering pink banners were being hung by pegasi. On them were tiny blue jewels that spelled out _We love you, Pinkie Pie!_ Ponies were wearing pink t-shirts that said _Free Pinkie and Cheese!_ A mare in a reporter's outfit was standing in front of the scene with a smile on her face. " _ **Yes, Dave, the Citizens of Ponyville have all gathered here to celebrate the life of their beloved party planner Pinkie, and guest party planner Cheese. The town is all decked out in pink, and cupcakes and other sweets are being passed out as well as cheese sandwiches. Some have even combined the two and made it a 'Pinkwich' no pun intended. I'm here with the fillies that started it all."**_ The camera panned out to reveal that Wendy was standing next to Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon. Wendy lowered her microphone to Apple Bloom's level. " _ **Tell me, how did you come up with this idea?"**_

" _ **Oh, well, it was a group effort,"**_ Apple Bloom smiled. " _ **We just love and miss Pinkie Pie so much. We wanted to let her know that as much as possible."**_

" _ **She's the greatest!"**_ Sweetie squeaked happily. " _ **Next to Rarity, of course. There's nopony like her!"**_

" _ **I paid for everything!"**_ Diamond cut in, grabbing the microphone with a huge smile on her face. " _ **And me!"**_ Silver added. Scootaloo rolled her eyes and snatched the microphone from the both of them. " _ **We're all behind you, Pinke! The two of you will be back in no time! You got this!"**_

For the first time in her life, Pinkie was speechless. Happy tears rolled down her cheeks.

Scootaloo had returned the microphone to the reporter who chuckled. " _ **Well there you have it—oh, thank you!"**_ A random pony had pinned a button on her shirt that said _Smile!_ With stars and hearts surrounding the word. " _ **A vigil will be held for Pinkie tonight. Various parts of Equesrtia have also been celebrating Cheese Sandwich, locations such as Dodge Junction, Phillydelphia, Las Pegasus, Baltimare, Manehattan, and so much more. He will also have a vigil in Manehattan, where he grew up."**_ A blast of confetti shot out from behind the reporter, followed by a " _ **Be careful with that thing!"**_ Wendy seemed oblivious. " _ **Live from Ponyville, I'm Wendy Waters, PNN News."**_

Pinkie sniffled and wiped away her tears. "T-That's the n-nicest most *Hiccup* wonderfullest thing *Sob* ever! Ch-Cheesy would be so happy…*Sniff* _I'm so happy!_ "

Dave reappeared on the screen. " _ **Thanks, Wendy. In Canterlot, Princess Celestia is cautioning subjects to be careful if they should encounter the sinister six. If you should see any of them or Pinkie and Cheese Sandwich, the best action is to contact an officer or a guard. Do not put yourself in danger. Also, Princess Twilight and the other bearers of Harmony are still in deep grief over the disappearance of Pinkie Pie. They are said to be undergoing intensive care and therapy."**_

Pinkie put a hoof to her mouth. "Oh no! My poor-!" Her ears started to tingle. "Wait a minute…"

Ear tingle.

Back itch.

Eyebrow twitch.

"That's a lie!" Pinkie exclaimed. "My friends are looking for us—I can feel it!" She started to shiver and jerk. "Yep! They're a lookin'!"

Lilly suddenly came in with blankets on her back and stared at Pinkie with a shocked expression. The baker smiled and tried to stop herself from twitching, but her senses weren't having it. "Ooooh… Good Morning! Or afternoon!" She shivered.

"Er… Are you alright? Are you having an… _attack_ of some kind?" Lilly asked.

"Nope! This always happens!" Pinkie finally stopped. "Whoo! That's better." Lilly blinked. "Right…" She walked over to Pinkie's cage and placed the folded blankets into the small compartment like Esme had done so that Pinkie could get them. "Esme said you were good last night, so I offered to bring you the blankets," She explained. Pinkie beamed as she wrapped the comfy blanket around her body. "Thanks! That's really nice of you! What's your name?"

"…Lilly."

"Thanks a bunch, Lilly! Normally, I'd be hugging you right now, but… y'know…cage…" Lilly chuckled lightly. "Huh… you're welcome." She looked around and lowered her voice to a whisper. "But that's not entirely why I came here…" Pinkie looked confused.

"Huh?"

"…Do you trust me?"

Cheese grunted as he shoveled what had to be his thirty-hundredth pile of coal into the furnace. The coal miner's outfit he was forced to wear didn't make this job any easier. Dusty was supervising the whole process. He walked behind the workers scrutinizing their every move. "Pick it up, Sandwich!" He yelled. Cheese puffed as he drove his heavy shovel into the huge pile of coal. " _With the sting of the whip on my shoulder…"_

A few ponies near him gave him strange looks. " _With the salt of my sweat on my brow… Elohim, God on high can you hear your ponies cry? Help us now… This dark hour…"_

He whipped out his accordion and started to play. " _Deliver us! Hear our call, deliver us! Lord of all remember us, here with this burning coal… Deliver us! There's a party you promised us! Deliver us, to the—"_ Dusty knocked his accordion down to the ground. "Enough _singing!_ " He yelled. "Now get back to work, or you'll become a grilled cheese sandwich, you got me?" Cheese nodded vigorously. "Yes sir!" He squeaked.

"Good!"

Satisfied after watching Cheese shovel more coal, he moved on to the other workers. In his head, he wondered where in Equestria he got that accordion. Cheese glanced up to see if Dusty was out of hearing range. Returning his gaze back to his work, he began singing under his breath. " _Look down… Look down… Don't look them in the eye…"_ The ponies around him groaned.

After ten hours of shoveling coal, an exhausted Cheese Sandwich was finally brought back to his tiny room. Every muscle ached. His hooves had multiple blisters. His arms carried burn marks from getting in trouble. He collapsed onto his cot which now felt like an oasis.

"…Cheese?"

The party pony perked up at the sound of his name. He lifted his head to see Lilly staring at him from behind the bars. She had tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked. "Are you okay?" Lilly made a sound that was a cross between a laugh and a sob. She clutched the bars like a life line. Curious, Cheese slid off the cot and stood to meet the mare's gaze. "…Look at you… you're all grown up now," Lilly chuckled sadly. Cheese raised an eyebrow. "Uh…I'm… sorry?"

"Cheese… Don't you remember me? Look closer."

Cheese squinted his eyes as he looked deeper into her eyes. Wait…. No…. It _couldn't_ be… His eyes widened and he stumbled back a little. He looked at Lilly for the first time, like _really_ looked at her… she had changed… but it was unmistakable. Tears watered his eyes. "….Aunt Blueberry?"


End file.
